Journey home: SpaceX's Crew Dragon returns
Technology
After nearly 20 days in space, India's Shubhanshu Shukla and his Axiom-4 crew are heading back to Earth on Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
They'll be traveling home in SpaceX's Crew Dragon capsule, "Grace," which will undock from the ISS and make a 23-hour journey before splashing down off California's coast.
Capsule will face intense heat during re-entry
Before leaving, Grace will run system checks and then separate from the ISS using thruster burns.
The capsule will face intense heat—up to 2000°C—during re-entry, but parachutes will slow it down for a safe splashdown.
Once back, the crew gets health checks to help them readjust.
Fun fact: Shukla is the first Indian to visit the ISS and has played a key role in science experiments during this mission.