14 Jul 2025, 05:59 PM IST Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla with crew members of the Axiom-4 mission and International Space Station (ISS). After 18 days of intense science experiments at the International Space Station, it is time for farewells and feasts for Shubhanshu Shukla and three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission who are set to begin their return journey to Earth on Monday.(X/@JonnyKimUSA) Indian Air Force Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three other astronauts of the Axiom-4 mission, entered the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Monday for their return journey to Earth. The mission will end with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California tomorrow. The hatch of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft 'Grace' was closed, and the indicator was aligned, marking the final preparations for the undocking of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew from the International Space Station (ISS) after almost 20 days in space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS, who is also part of the crew for the mission, will be piloting the spacecraft. The departure operations have begun for the crew with the hatch closing, and the crew have all entered the spaceship. As per Axiom Space, the crew's return journey will take approximately 22.5 hours back to Earth, marking the conclusion of their nearly mission aboard the orbiting laboratory.