Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, three others exit Dragon spacecraft after Earth splashdown

Following the splashdown of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in San Diego, California, Indian astronaut Shubanshu Shukla exited the Dragon capsule on Tuesday.

- BY S VENKAT NARAYAN

His fellow astronauts Peggy Whitson, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary have also exited the spacecraft. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft made splashdown in California today at 3 pm. The spacecraft had undocked the Harmony module of International Space Station (ISS) approximately 7.05 am EDT (4.35 pm IST) on July 14.

Shortly after the splashdown of SpaceX Dragon spacecraft in Pacific Ocean, Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Shukla. In a post on X, he said, "I join the nation in welcoming Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as he returns to Earth from his historic mission to Space. As India's first astronaut to have visited International Space Station, he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication, courage and pioneering spirit."

Shukla spent 18 days onboard ISS and completed more than 310 orbits and travelled approximately 13 million km. The 39-year-old Indian Air Force (IAF) officer and test pilot completed all seven microgravity experiments assigned by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), including studies on muscle regeneration, tardigrades, seed germination, algae cultivation, crop resilience, radiation effects and human physiology.