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Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force made history on July 15 as the first Indian to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 mission. His return to Earth was equally momentous, with the SpaceX Dragon capsule’s fiery descent lighting up the California sky in a spectacle now going viral online.

A stunning video of the Dragon spacecraft’s reentry, filmed from Marin County, California, captured the attention of space enthusiasts and was quickly reposted by Axiom Space and SpaceX on their official X accounts. The footage, originally shared by astrophysicist and YouTuber Scott Manley, shows the spacecraft blazing across the twilight sky like a slow-moving comet before making a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean.

The SpaceX Dragon capsule, which carried Shukla and three other Ax-4 astronauts, completed its reentry at exactly 3:01 PM IST (5:31 AM local time) on Tuesday. The spacecraft's return marked the end of an 18-day research mission aboard the ISS.

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 Video Of SpaceX Dragon Reentry

The reentry video is as awe-inspiring as the mission itself. The capsule can be seen streaking across the atmosphere, trailing glowing plasma as it slows through Earth’s upper layers. The moment the parachutes deploy and the spacecraft gently approaches the Pacific surface is a vivid reminder of human ingenuity and technological precision.

SpaceX confirmed that the splashdown off California’s coast was smooth and uneventful. All four of the spacecraft’s parachutes deployed successfully, slowing the descent and ensuring a soft landing. Recovery teams were on standby and quickly retrieved the astronauts from the ocean, while medical teams conducted standard post-mission health evaluations.

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Shukla, who piloted the mission on behalf of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), now begins a brief re-acclimatisation period after spending nearly three weeks in microgravity. His participation in the Ax-4 mission is seen as a major milestone for India’s growing presence in human spaceflight and international space collaboration.

Scott Manley’s caption for the now-viral video read, “Axiom 4 Reentry from Marin County.” But for millions watching, the visual spoke volumes, marking the return of a historic mission and a proud moment for Indian space history.

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