Shubhanshu Shukla: Why Indian Astronaut's Return Will Take Nearly 24 Hours?

On July 14, 2025, Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and his Axiom-4 crewmates started their meticulously prepared 22.5-hour return trip to Earth when they disembarked from the International Space Station (ISS).

It may seem unexpected that returning from just 400 kilometers above Earth takes almost a full day, but this is due to intricate orbital mechanics, safety precautions, and exact landing criteria.

To safely separate from the ISS and enter a slightly different orbit, the Dragon spacecraft must first execute a series of engine burns rather than just descending straight down. This maneuver eliminates the possibility of a collision with the station and starts what engineers refer to as "free flight," in which the spacecraft circles the planet on its own for a few hours before re-entry starts.

The deorbit burn, the crucial engine firing that slows the capsule sufficiently to initiate atmospheric re-entry, is precisely timed to coincide with Earth's rotation and the location of the splashdown zone off the California coast. The ISS orbits the Earth at about 28,000 km/h; therefore, in order to make a safe and precise landing, the spacecraft must wait for the proper orbital position.

The Dragon capsule experiences intense heat upon re-entry, with temperatures approaching 1,600 degrees Celsius. The descent is regulated and gradual to safeguard the crew and ship. To slow the descent for a safe ocean splashdown, parachutes deploy in two stages: stabilizing chutes at roughly 5.7 km altitude and primary parachutes at around 2 km.

The availability of recovery ships and the state of the weather also affect the timing. The spacecraft might stay in orbit longer before starting re-entry if the primary landing site is unfavorable. This meticulously planned procedure puts crew safety and accurate landings ahead of speed.