Shubhanshu Shukla returns after record-setting space mission: What is next for ISRO astronaut?

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla with Axiom-4 crew assisted out of the Dragon Spacecraft onto the recovery vehicle (Image: YouTube/Axiom Space)

Group Captain Shubhanshu ‘Shux’ Shukla, India's newest space traveller and Indian Air Force (IAF) pilot, touched down safely back on Earth on July 15, becoming India’s first astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) in over four decades.

Following an 18-day mission aboard the ISS on the Axiom-4 mission, Shukla safely splashed down off the California coast aboard SpaceX's Dragon capsule ‘Grace’, along with mission commander Peggy Whitson, European Space Agency astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu.

The spacecraft undocked from the ISS at 4:45 pm IST, with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California with the return journey taking approximately 22.5 hours.

The nearly two-week mission was filled with science experiments and global teamwork but what comes after this successful homecoming is equally important.

Quick recovery: Medical exams, quarantine

Shukla and his fellow crew members were taken straight away to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. There, he will stay at least 10 days under quarantine and go through an intensive medical and psychological rehab programme. NASA's Human Health and Performance division will administer a suite of tests to assess cardiovascular function, reflexes, balance, immune system function, bone density, and psychological health.

Microgravity exposure, which is prolonged, usually results in temporary syndromes like loss of muscle, decreased bone mass, changes in vision, and fluid shift, leading to effects like the 'puffy face and chicken legs' phenomenon.

Astronauts also frequently suffer from orthostatic intolerance, which means trouble standing up because of problems with blood pressure control, and require closely monitored readaptation to Earth's gravity. NASA guidelines state that such assessments not only provide safety for astronauts but also provide information to enhance long-duration spaceflight planning.

Mission debrief 

After being cleared by medical authorities, Shukla will undergo extensive mission debriefs. These are important for recording operational feedback, scientific inputs, and procedural recommendations. The Axiom-4 mission saw more than 60 experiments, several of which were conceptualised and designed in Indian institutions under the ISRO human spaceflight programme.

These covered studies on the impact of microgravity on human physiology, management of cognitive load, AI-based health monitoring, and microalgae cultivation for possible life support on extended missions.

These findings will be collated into technical reports as well as peer-reviewed papers. ISRO has already said that a stand-alone repository of spaceflight learnings will be established from Shukla's mission. This information will be used as a scientific platform for India's forthcoming endeavours, including the Gaganyaan programme and the Bhartiya Antariksha Station.

Gaganyaan and future missions

Shukla is familiar with India's space plans. Chosen in 2019 to be one of ISRO's four Gaganyaan astronauts, he has more than 2,000 flight hours on fighter aircraft such as the Sukhoi-30MKI and Mirage-2000. His joining Axiom-4 is being considered as a testbed for ISRO's upcoming Gaganyaan-4 crewed mission, currently planned for early 2027.

ISRO Chief V Narayanan has expressed recently that Shukla's hands-on experience in a commercial international mission will directly input into astronaut training procedures, in-orbit functions, and experiment management.

His inputs will be critical to fine-tuning telemetry systems, life support module development, crew conditioning practices, and emergency contingency planning for India's future indigenous missions.

The Gaganyaan programme with a budgetary outlay of around Rs 600 crore, is intended to showcase India's capability to send Indians to space and retrieve them back without external help. The learnings through Axiom-4 may be used to minimise operational risks.

Honour for his achievements

Back in India, Shukla is expected to be formally honoured by the Government of India, ISRO, and the Indian Air Force. The symbolic importance of his mission as the first Indian on board the ISS in more than 40 years since Rakesh Sharma is significant. Ceremonial receptions, felicitation ceremonies, and awards may follow his return to India, which is now tentatively anticipated around August 17.