Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 mission delayed once again; new date June 22

New Delhi: Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station has been postponed to June 22 to allow NASA to evaluate the operations on the orbital lab after the recent repairs in the Russian section, Axiom Space announced on Wednesday.

The Axiom-4 mission, which marks the return to space for India, Hungary, and Poland, was earlier scheduled for lift-off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 19 onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

“NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 22, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4,” Houston-based Axiom Space said in a statement.

SpaceX, which is the transporter for the Axiom-4 mission, said the launch is targeted at 3:42 am Eastern Time (1:12 pm IST) on Sunday, with a back-up opportunity available on June 23 at 3:20 am ET (12:50 pm IST).

“The change in a targeted launch date provides NASA time to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module,” Axiom Space said.

The Axiom-4 commercial mission is led by Commander Peggy Whitson, with Shukla as mission pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specialists.

The mission was originally scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but was then put off to June 8, then June 10 and June 11, when engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak in the boosters of the Falcon-9 rocket and NASA also detected leaks in the ageing Russian module of the International Space Station.

“The #Ax4 crew remains in quarantine in Florida to maintain all medical and safety protocols. The crew is in good health and high spirits and looks forward to launch,” Axiom Space said on X.

ISRO said its team in Florida along with that of Poland and Hungary engaged in a detailed discussion with Axiom Space regarding the probable launch timeline of Axiom Mission 4. Following this, Axiom Space held consultations with NASA and SpaceX to assess multiple readiness parameters.

“Based on the readiness status of the SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the Dragon spacecraft, repairs in the Zvezda module of the International Space Station, ascent corridor weather conditions, and the health and preparedness of the crew in quarantine, Axiom Space has informed that the next probable launch date is 22 June 2025,” ISRO said in a statement.

At a press conference here, Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh said, “This morning, we got the news that we now have to wait until June 22.”

“The safety issue is also very important,” Singh said against the backdrop of leaks in the SpaceX rocket and issues on the Russian module of the ISS.