Technical glitch mars Ax-4 launch
New Delhi: The Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station on Tuesday, was put off again to fix a leak in the SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket.
SpaceX announced that it was "standing down" from the Falcon-9 launch to allow time for repairs after a post-static inspection of the rocket's boosters identified a liquid oxygen leak. "Once complete and pending Range availability, we will share a new launch date," SpaceX said in an X post.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said the liquid oxygen leak was detected in the propulsion bay during a seven-second hot test on the launch pad. The hot test was to validate the performance of the booster stage of Falcon-9 launch vehicle. "The ISRO team discussed with experts at Axiom and SpaceX and it was decided that the leak would be fixed and necessary validation tests conducted before clearing for the launch,' Narayanan said. Hence, the Axiom-4 launch slated on June 11, 2025 to send the first Indian Gaganyatri to the International Space Station stands postponed, the ISRO chairman said.
Axiom Space spokesperson said that SpaceX teams identified a liquid oxygen leak that requires additional work.
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Business Standard
17 minutes ago
- Business Standard
Working closely with Nasa to address Ax-4 delay, says Isro chairman
Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is working closely with Axiom Space, Nasa, SpaceX as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the Ax-4 delay. V Narayanan, the Secretary DOS/ Chairman Isro and Chairman Space Commission said that safety and mission integrity were their priorities. In a post on X, Isro stated, "Isro is working closely with Axiom Space, Nasa, SpaceX as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the Ax-4 delay. Safety and mission integrity remain our top priorities." On June 11, SpaceX announced the postponement of the Falcon 9 launch of the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing the need for additional time to repair a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak. "Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete - and pending Range availability - we will share a new launch date," the company said in a post on X. Following the announcement, the Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) also confirmed the delay of the Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled for launch on June 11, 2025, and was set to carry the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS. Despite the delay, the Axiom-4 mission remains significant. The Ax-4 crew includes members from India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first mission to the space station in history and the second government-sponsored human spaceflight mission in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be India's second national astronaut to go to space since 1984. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission (Ax-4), marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with Nasa. According to Axiom Space, the Ax-4 mission will "realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, marking each nation's first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
Safety, mission integrity top priority, says ISRO amid Axiom-4 delay
New Delhi, Jun 13 (PTI) ISRO on Friday said safety and mission integrity were its top priority as NASA and Axiom Space said they were working to address an issue related to a leak at the International Space Station. India's Shubhanshu Shukla along with three other astronauts are scheduled to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 commercial mission that has now been put on indefinite delay, as space agencies address various issues that have cropped up ahead of the launch. "Safety and mission integrity remain our top priorities," ISRO Chairman V Narayanan said in a post on X. He said ISRO is working closely with Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX, as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the delay. India's return to spaceflight as part of the Axiom-4 private mission has run into further delay as NASA announced on Thursday that it was examining a leak onboard the ISS' Russian module. "NASA and Axiom Space are postponing the launch of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station," a NASA statement said. The astronauts were originally scheduled for lift-off on May 29, which was put off to June 8, June 10 and June 11, when SpaceX, the providers of the launch rocket and the space capsule, detected a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket. Former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, Peggy Whitson, will command the commercial mission, while Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. The 14-day mission will "realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary. "Setbacks and delays are a normal part of spaceflight. Our Ax-4 crew remains upbeat and looking forward to a safe and successful flight to the Space Station," Whitson said in a post on X.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Decision on new Axiom-4 launch date expected soon
Decision on new Axiom-4 launch date expected soon (Picture credit: ANI) CAPE CANAVERAL (FLORIDA): SpaceX appears to have fixed the liquid oxygen ( LOX ) leak it detected in Falcon-9 , and a new date for the launch of the Axiom-4 mission is expected to be finalised after a meeting scheduled post midday here (late in India). At the time of going to press, no formal announcement about a new date was made by SpaceX. But, sources who were part of the two meetings held on June 11 told TOI the final decision would be taken after a test scheduled for June 12. "The test is expected to take a couple of hours and they expect to complete it at least by 2 pm local time here. There will be a meeting soon after the test is complete," a source said around 7 pm IST. "A final decision on the new launch date is expected to be taken there. As of now, SpaceX is looking at two options, June 13 and June 14, and the weather appears to look OK. However, the weather will also be monitored closely." No final decision had been made at the time of filing this report. TOI had reported earlier that SpaceX had detected the LOX leak during a static test fire on Sunday (June 8) and made its discovery public late Monday, stating that the issue was being addressed. Following that, the company said it was "standing down" from the previously decided June 11 launch, to "allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOX leak identified during post-static fire booster inspections". The final decision on the new launch date will also depend on range availability and weather.
