When and Where to Watch ISRO Astronaut Shukla, Crew Depart ISS on July 14 via NASA+

The return journey will conclude with a splashdown off the coast of California, United States.

Here are details of when and where to watch the live coverage

According to NASA, broadcast coverage will begin at 4.30 am EDT (2.00 pm IST) on NASA+.

This will be followed by the undocking coverage starting at 6.45 am EDT (4.15 pm IST) on NASA+, as well as Axiom Space and SpaceX platforms.

Full schedule of departure from ISS

4.30 am – Hatch closing coverage begins on NASA+.

4.55 am – Crew enters spacecraft followed by hatch closing.

6.45 am – Undocking coverage begins on NASA+, Axiom Space, and SpaceX channels.

7.05 am – Undocking

After the undocking, Axiom Space will independently continue coverage of the Dragon spacecraft’s re-entry and splashdown via its own channels.

NASA’s coverage ends approximately 30 minutes after undocking when space station joint operations with Axiom Space and SpaceX conclude. Axiom Space will resume coverage of Dragon’s re-entry and splashdown on the company’s website.

To note: The coverage is subject to change based on real-time operations.

Who’s aboard the mission?

• The Ax-4 mission is commanded by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and current director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space.
• Whitson is joined by Shubhanshu Shukla, India’s first astronaut to the ISS from ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation).
• Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, project astronaut from Poland representing ESA (European Space Agency).
• Tibor Kapu, a HUNOR astronaut from Hungary.

The returning Dragon capsule will bring back more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission.

What success of Axiom-4 mission will help NASA achieve

Axiom Mission 4 is part of NASA’s broader strategy to build a robust low Earth orbit economy. By enabling commercial missions like these, NASA aims to purchase services from private partners while shifting its own focus to deep space exploration under the Artemis programme.

This approach is designed to provide reliable services at reduced costs and maintain the ISS as a vital platform for science and astronaut training.

According to NASA, the collaboration involved five joint scientific investigations and two STEM outreach initiatives between NASA and ISRO.

The mission also marks a success of the commitment highlighted by US President Trump and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut Shukla to the station. Additionally, it is a milestone for European representation, with Poland and Hungary sending astronauts staying aboard the ISS for the first time.

(With inputs from NASA’s official website)