Air India cancels multiple flights, cites enhanced maintenance and operational reasons
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NASA has again delayed the launch of the Axiom 4 mission to the International Space Station, originally set for Sunday. This is the seventh postponement since the initial May 29 target. The latest delay stems from a pressure leak on the ISS that needs further assessment. A new launch date hasn't been set, and moving into July could cause scheduling conflicts with an upcoming Russian cargo mission.
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Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Evening news wrap: Israel carries out massive overnight airstrikes in Iran by deploying 60 fighter jets; Ax‑4 mission delayed again, no new launch date announced; & more
photo/agencies Today's top 5 news developments include the latest developments between Iran and Israel as tensions escalates in the middle east, the delay of the Ax-4 mission and Prime Minister Narendra Modi 's recent rally in Bihar. The tensions in the middle-east are continuously rising. The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Friday conducted extensive overnight strikes on numerous military targets within Iran. The axiom 4 mission set to carry India's group captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other members to space has been delayed again. PM Narendra Modi visited Bihar's Siwan and inaugurated multiple development projects. He even addressed the public. Israel carries out massive overnight airstrikes in Iran by deploying 60 fighter jets In a highly coordinated operation on the night of June 20, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched a sweeping airstrike campaign using around 60 fighter jets to strike strategic military and nuclear-related sites across Iran. The planned offensive specifically hit the Organization of Defensive Innovation and Research (SPND), a facility believed to be pivotal in Iran's nuclear weapons development. Read full story Ax‑4 mission delayed again, no new launch date announced The Axiom‑4 mission set to carry India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and crew from Poland and Hungary to the ISS has been postponed once more. The launch was postponed so NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX can further inspect and ensure the readiness of the ISS following repairs on its Zvezda service module. Flight teams say the crew remains in quarantine in Florida and is prepared to launch, with hopes to still meet the late‑June window which runs until June 30 but no fix date has been confirmed. Read full story PM Modi flags off Vande Bharat express, launches ₹9,500 crore projects in Bihar Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Siwan, Bihar, on June 20 where he launched development projects worth over ₹9,500 crore. These included sewage treatment works under Namami Gange, rural water supply projects, solar energy and power storage facilities, and housing schemes. He also flagged off a new Vande Bharat Express between Patliputra and Gorakhpur and unveiled India's first export-bound locomotive. Read full story Air India fare drops after Boeing 787 crash Air India has slashed fares by up to 24% on both domestic and international routes following the June 12 crash of its Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Travel platform ixigo data shows major declines in fare prices. Air India is inspecting its entire fleet of 33 Dreamliner aircraft, following a directive from the civil aviation regulator. Read full story India and England cricketers pay tribute to Ahmedabad Air crash victims During the first Test between India and England, both teams observed a minute's silence and wore black armbands to honor those who died in the recent Ahmedabad air crash. The tribute took place before the start of the match, showing solidarity with the victims and their families. Indian vice-captain Rishabh Pant said the team hopes to bring some happiness to the nation through their performance. Read full story
Indian Express
2 hours ago
- Indian Express
Axiom-4 Mission: Why India's Shubhanshu Shukla is still not in space, the reasons behind the delays
The Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) was delayed again on Friday — the sixth time the scheduled liftoff was put off. The mission, themed 'Realize the Return', is historic in many ways but has seen multiple postponements. Without specifying the next launch date, Axiom Space, which is carrying out the mission, released a statement saying: 'NASA has made the decision to stand down from the launch on Sunday, June 22 and will target a new launch date in the coming days.' The mission was to take off from Kennedy Space Centre on June 22 at 1:12 pm. With an initial launch date of May 29, the mission has been postponed several times, owing to problems in the electrical harness of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that was to carry the astronauts, a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket, inclement weather in the flight path, and repairs needed to fix leaks in ISS's Zvezda module. 'Because of the space station's interconnected and interdependent systems, NASA wants to ensure the station is ready for additional crew members, and the agency is taking the time necessary to review data,' the space agency said in a statement. Here's a look at the delays and the reasons behind each postponement: 📌 May 29: Originally targeted for May 29, the launch was deferred to June 8 due to 'observations in an electrical harness in the Crew Dragon Module,' according to a statement from the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 📌 June 8: A delay in the preparedness of the Falcon 9 vehicle for the launch meant the launch was deferred by one day to June 09. 📌 June 9: The Axiom-4 launch couldn't take place, this time postponed to June 10, due to unfavourable weather conditions. 📌 June 10: An oxygen leak was detected in the engine, along with an issue in one of the engine actuators. 'Additional observation of oxygen leakage in the engine bay was observed during the preparation for hot fire test conducted on June 08, 2025. Moreover, there was an observation of an anomaly in one of the engine actuators, which was replaced along with the controller,' ISRO said in a statement. 'Anticipating the quick resolution of the LOX leak issue, the launch was rescheduled to June 11, 2025,' it added. 📌 June 11: NASA informed that it was working with the Russian space agency to evaluate a 'new pressure signature' that could indicate a leak in the back section of one of the Russian modules of the space station — ISS Zvezda. 'NASA informed that they are working with Roscosmos to evaluate a new pressure signature indicating a leak in the aft most segment of the ISS Zvezda Russian service module, after the recent repair attempt'. ISRO said the launch was being postponed to 'assess the situation and determine the need for further troubleshooting'. 📌 June 19: ISRO said the launch had to be postponed again. The revised date was arrived at after detailed discussions involving teams from ISRO, Poland, and Hungary with Axiom Space; consultations between Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX; and an assessment of the predicted weather conditions in the path of the flight. 'Based on the readiness status of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the Dragon spacecraft, repairs in the Zvezda module of the 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. 📌 June 20: Two days before the last scheduled lift-off date, NASA said the mission was being postponed again. 'NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX continue reviewing launch opportunities for Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station. NASA has made the decision to stand down from a launch on Sunday, June 22, and will target a new launch date in the coming days.' the US space agency said in a statement. NASA said it needs 'additional time to continue evaluating International Space Station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the orbital laboratory's Zvezda service module'. The Axiom-4 mission will see India's Shubhanshu Shukla become only the second astronaut in space from the country and the first one to go to the ISS. Former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, Peggy Whitson, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the pilot. Shukla's experience will also help India's own ambitions to send humans to space on its own craft.
NDTV
2 hours ago
- NDTV
'City-Killer' Asteroid May Hit Moon, Hurl Deadly Debris Toward Earth
NASA scientists now believe that asteroid 2024 YR4, once thought to pose a slight threat to Earth, may instead collide with the Moon in the coming years. New calculations suggest a 4.3% chance of impact in 2031. First detected on December 27, 2024, by the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System in Hawaii, YR4 passed close to Earth just two days earlier. It orbits the Sun every four years. Recent observations in May 2025 from the James Webb Space Telescope estimate the asteroid's size between 174 and 220 feet (53-67 metres), roughly the height of a 10-storey building or the wingspan of a Boeing 747. Earlier estimates ranged from 131 to 295 feet. Data from NASA's Centre for Near Earth Object Studies at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory indicate the likelihood of the asteroid hitting the Moon has steadily risen from 1.7% in February to 3.8% in April, and now to 4.3%. If it does impact the Moon, it's expected to strike the near side, offering a rare chance for scientists to observe crater formation in real time. For now, YR4 is too distant to be tracked by telescopes. It will next approach Earth again in December 2028. "While an Earth impact by 2024 YR4 on December 22, 2032 has now been ruled out, it continues to have a non-zero probability of impacting the Moon at this time," the researchers wrote in their preliminary report, which has not yet been peer-reviewed. Asteroid 2024 YR4 is considered rare, once holding over a 1% impact probability-an extremely unusual threat level. NASA data suggests such an event would occur roughly once in 1,000 years. It's been compared to asteroid Apophis, which once ranked Level 4 on the Torino scale. Apophis will pass close to Earth in 2029, offering a rare visual encounter.
