Ax-4 crew to leave ISS on July 14, splash down next day off California

THE ongoing Axiom-4 Space Mission's four-member crew in its Dragon Spacecraft — including India's Group Captain and astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla (call sign Shux) — will undock from the International Space Station (ISS) on July 14 at 7.05am ET (4.35pm IST), announced the ISRO and NASA teams on Saturday.

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As per the scheduled plan they are to splash down on July 15 off the coast of California, subject to weather conditions on the Earth, to mark the end of their 14-day mission on the ISS.

Explaining the undocking, a senior ISRO scientist said that while Shux was slated to dock the spacecraft, he did it partially as the docking mainly happened in an autonomous mode. The undocking, too, will be carried out in an autonomous mode.

"Soon after splash down, he and his crew mates will need at least seven to adapt to gravity on Earth, and they will also be kept under strict medical observation for effects of the space environment on their bodies. All the experiments Shux is doing are as per schedule and the final reports will be known only after he reaches the base camp," the scientist said.