Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], July 15 (ANI): The family of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla exuberated happiness and celebrated the moment as he and the entire crew returned to Earth after an 18-day stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

Speaking to ANI, Shukla's mother expressed her happiness at the return of his son to the Earth.

'I don't have words to express my happiness...PM Modi also congratulated him...' said Asha Shukla.

'Excitement is endless and we are very proud. We were afraid at first... The upcoming generation should take inspiration and move ahead as well...' she added.

Expressing his happiness, his father expressed his urge to meet his son as soon as possible.

'Now we want to meet him as soon as possible...We were praying for his safe return to earth...' Shambhu Dayal Shukla stated.

'We thank god for the safe landing of Shubhanshu Shukla...Defence Minister Rajnath Singh also blessed Shubhanshu Shukla and extended best wishes to us...' he added.

His sister, Shuchi Mishra, said, 'I am so happy that PM Modi congratulated him. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla deserves all the praise...We are very relaxed and happy as he has returned to earth safely'

The Dragon spacecraft piloted by Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla splashed down with grace, completing its mission after 18 days on the ISS. Waving to the camera, a smiling 'Shux' egressed from the Dragon spacecraft which he had piloted.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi welcomed Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla upon his return to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS), saying he has inspired a billion dreams through his dedication. The PM termed the achievement a significant step towards India's Human Space Flight Mission Gaganyaan.

SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft 'Grace' successfully landed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California, marking the safe return of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew, including pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS).

The splashdown, confirmed by SpaceX, concludes a 18-day mission aboard the ISS, fulfilling a significant milestone in Indo-US space cooperation.

Earlier, SpaceX stated that it was set for a splashdown on Earth off the coast of California, as the nosecone of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft 'Grace' has been closed and secured for reentry.

SpaceX made the announcement of the mission in a post on X, as the mission marked the final stages of the crew's return from the International Space Station (ISS).

The re-entry was done following the completion of the deorbit burn and the jettisoning of the trunk, as confirmed by SpaceX.

'Dragon's nosecone is closed and secured for reentry. Splashdown in ~26 minutes,' SpaceX stated in a post on X.'

The Ax-4 crew, comprising Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz 'Suave' Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu, had been actively engaged in research and outreach activities aboard the ISS as part of the mission during the past 18-days. As per NASA, the Dragon spacecraft returns to Earth with more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission.

Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The Dragon spacecraft successfully docked with the ISS on June 26 at 4:05 pm IST, ahead of schedule, connecting to the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module. (ANI)