Tue Jul 15 10:00:00 UTC 2025: Okay, here’s a news article based on the provided text:
**Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla Returns to Earth in Successful Ocean Splashdown, Rekindling Landing Debate**
**California, USA:** Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla successfully returned to Earth on Tuesday at 3:01 PM IST after an 18-day mission in space. The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft safely splashed down in the ocean near the coast of California, sparking renewed discussion about the safety and practicality of water landings versus land-based approaches.
Shukla’s return via “splashdown,” a method favored by SpaceX and used in Axiom-4 and previous US missions, has brought the spotlight back onto the debate. While countries like Russia and China still prioritize land landings, the advantages of ocean landings, particularly in mitigating risks associated with falling debris, are being reconsidered.
For SpaceX, discarding parts of the spacecraft before reentry makes a water landing attractive, eliminating the potential for damage to populated areas or property should that debris fall on land. Furthermore, the softer impact of the water is believed to provide a more comfortable return for astronauts after extended periods in space and the effects of microgravity on their bodies.
However, land landings offer a higher degree of precision and eliminate the need for complex and costly marine recovery operations. Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft has been landing on the flat steppes of Kazakhstan for decades, and China’s Shenzhou missions touch down in Inner Mongolia. Notably, India’s first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, also landed in Kazakhstan in 1984 aboard Soyuz T-10.
Sharma, in a previous interview, described his own land-based return as a potentially life-threatening experience. He recalled the unexpected and jarring impact upon parachute deployment and the greater physical stress associated with landing on solid ground, especially after prolonged exposure to microgravity.
The success of Shukla’s mission and the contrasting approaches to astronaut recovery continue to fuel the debate, with each method presenting its own set of challenges and benefits for the future of space travel.
First Piper 