Group Captain Shukla has completed all seven microgravity experiments onboard ISS: ISRO

Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who is headed back to earth after an 18-day stay at the International Space Station (ISS), has completed all seven microgravity experiments.

“Gaganyatri Shubhanshu Shukla has successfully completed all seven microgravity experiments and other planned activities, achieving a significant milestone in the mission. Experiments on Indian strain of Tardigrades, Myogenesis, Sprouting of methi and moong seeds, Cyanobacteria, Microalgae, Crop seeds and Voyager Display have been completed as planned,” ISRO said on Monday (July 14, 2025).

Group Captain Shukla is the first Indian to reach space in the last 41 years.

ISRO had assigned to him several microgravity research experiments proposed by Indian Principal Investigators (PIs) from various national R&D laboratories and academic institutions.

During his stay in ISS, Group Captain Shukla also spoke with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and had a couple of interactions with the student community back home via ham radio.

The Ax-4 research complement includes around 60 scientific studies and activities representing 31 countries, including the U.S., India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, UAE, and nations across Europe.

NASA has said that the Dragon spacecraft is returning with more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission.