SpaceX delays ISS mission again after liquid oxygen leak; what's next for Axiom-4 and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla?
The launch of the Axiom-4 space mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed again due to a technical snag in SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
This is the second time that the mission has been postponed, as originally, it was scheduled for June 10, 2025, and later it was rescheduled to June 11 at 5:30 pm IST. Following the latest delay announcement, it faces an indefinite delay with no new updates.
Why has the Axiom-4 space mission been delayed again?
According to ToI, the delay comes after engineers detected a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak while conducting the post-static fire inspections of the rocket boosters.
On Wednesday, issuing a statement, SpaceX announced the delay and said that it was standing down from the Falcon-9 launch to allow time for necessary repairs. "Once complete and pending range availability, we will share a new launch date," the company said in a post on X."
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 pic.twitter.com/FwRc8k2Bc0
Oxygen leak detected during hot test launch pad
The ISRO Chairman, V Narayana,n confirmed that the LOX leak was found in the propulsion bay during a seven-second hot test conducted on the launch pad.
According to a PTI report, Narayanan stated, "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."
While the hot test was aimed at validating the performance of Falcon 9's booster stage. Hence, the Axiom mission, which was to be initially carried out on June 11, 2025, has been officially postponed.
Necessary validation tests were conducted before launch
On the other hand, Axiom Space also confirmed that the team of ISRO 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.
The 14-day mission is significant for countries including India, Poland, and Hungary, as it marks a return to human spaceflight for all three countries. However, the Axiom-4 mission was initially postponed multiple times, first to June 8, then June 10 and now June 11.
What's next for Axiom-4 and Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla?
This is not the first delay; the mission was postponed earlier on June 11 due to 'unfavourable weather', the Indian Space Research Organisation announced on Monday. So far, no new launch date has been announced.
Indian Air Force pilot Group Shubhanshu Shukla has been selected as the pilot for the Axiom 4 mission. Shukla will be the first Indian astronaut to visit the ISS and the second Indian to travel to space, after 41 years since Rakesh Sharma made history during the landmark 1984 mission.
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