Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the International Space Station (ISS), marked his final day aboard the orbiting laboratory with a symbolic photo op alongside fellow crew members ahead of his return to Earth. Pictured with astronauts representing the United States, Japan, India, Hungary and Poland, the image was captured using a time-lapse camera on a wall-mounted tripod.“We don’t get in our flight suits often, but chance had us all decked out so we took advantage and took some photos with our new crewmates,” astronaut Jonny Kim explained. “It’s been a pleasure getting to know and work with these professionals, and it’s been amazing to watch the ground collaboration for research between our partner nations.”Shukla is now preparing to undock from the ISS with the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) crew after an 18-day stay in space. The Dragon spacecraft is scheduled to leave the ISS at approximately 4.35pm IST on Monday, with splashdown expected off the California coast at 3.01pm IST on Tuesday. The return journey is fully automated and will last about 22.5 hours.At a farewell ceremony on Sunday, emotions ran high as the Ax-4 crew said their goodbyes. Shukla, moved by the experience, thanked the Expedition 73 crew for making his journey special. “I didn’t imagine all of this when I started on the Falcon-9 on June 25. It was an incredible joy to be here and work alongside professionals like you,” he said.Recalling Rakesh Sharma’s iconic 1984 mission, Shukla reflected on India’s presence in space: “Aaj ka Bharat mahatvakanshi dikhta hai. Aaj ka Bharat nidar dikhta hai, Aaj ka Bharat confident dikhta hai. Aaj ka Bharat garv se purn dikhta hai. Today’s India still looks ‘saare jahan se accha’.”Shukla’s participation marks only the second time an Indian has travelled to space, and the first aboard the ISS. His journey, funded by ISRO at approximately Rs 550 crore, is seen as vital groundwork for India’s own human spaceflight mission, Gaganyaan, planned for 2027.