Guwahati, Jul 15 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday joined the nation in welcoming back Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to Earth after completing the Axiom-4 mission, describing his achievement as a milestone for the country’s space programme.
Shukla and three other astronauts aboard the Dragon “Grace” capsule made a safe splashdown off the coast of San Diego in California on Tuesday, concluding a 22.5-hour return journey from the International Space Station (ISS).
“Welcome back Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla! Your successful visit to the International Space Station is a historic milestone for our space programme and triumph of human potential,” Sarma said in a post on X.
Launched on June 25 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket, the crew had docked with the ISS on June 26.
Over an 18-day stay in orbit, Shukla completed more than 310 orbits and covered approximately 13 million km. PTI SSG RBT
