BENGALURU: “We are back home,” relayed Axiom-4 mission commander Peggy Whitson to the command control centre of Axiom Space, at 3.02pm soon after the spacecraft Dragon- called Grace, landed off the California coast near San Diego in the Pacific Ocean on July 15.
The command centre replied: “Welcome Home.” To which Peggy replied: “Thank you for the great ride and safe journey.” This communication indicated that the crew onboard Grace was healthy and safe and that all communication channels were working as per normal.
After spending 21 days in space, 18 days of which were spent on the International Space Station (ISS) as a part of the Axiom-4 commercial space mission, Group Captain and mission pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, who was also the mission pilot, made a safe landing in the foggy sky.
Soon after the splash down was announced, netizens and science enthusiasts took to social media to congratulate the four- member team on their safe return to Earth. The Axiom-4 space mission had launched on June 25 and hand docked in the ISS on June 26. The crew had undocked on July 14.
Soon after the splash down the five boats rushed to the spacecraft to ensure the safe exit of the astronauts and the spacecraft. All scientists and experts at the command centre and at the head office had kept their fingers crossed for a duration of 6-7minutes, before the splash down, as it was black-out period, during which the heat shields are burning at high temperatures before the splash down starts. The black-out period was 2.18minutes before the splash down.
The final speed of the spacecraft was reduced from 350 miles per hour to 15 miles per hour before touchdown. The two drouge chutes opened 2.55 minutes before the splash down, followed by the opening of the four main parachutes 2.30 minutes before the splash down.
