Latest news with #WilliamGerstenmaier
Time of India
2 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Axiom-4 setback: Falcon-9 oxygen leak, stormy skies delay ISS flight; why India's Shubhanshu Shukla must wait for maiden spaceflight
The much-anticipated Axiom-4 mission , which aims to send Indian astronaut and three other international crew members to the International Space Station (ISS), has faced yet another delay. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Originally scheduled for May 29, the mission has been postponed multiple times due to a combination of technical issues and adverse weather conditions. Technical snag The latest setback comes after identified a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak in the Falcon-9 rocket during a post-static fire inspection. This issue, which traces back to the rocket's previous Starlink mission, was initially undetected during the booster's post-flight refurbishment. SpaceX Vice President William Gerstenmaier explained that the leak was discovered during a seven-second hot test on the launch pad, which was intended to validate the performance of the booster stage. In addition to the LOX leak, engineers also identified a thrust vector control issue with engine five. "Space flight is really hard, and we're learning every day," Gerstenmaier said. Weather woes Compounding the technical difficulties, the mission has also been hampered by unfavorable weather conditions. On June 10, the launch was postponed by a day due to bad weather in the flight path. SpaceX and Axiom Space have been closely monitoring weather patterns to ensure a safe launch window. The Axiom-4 mission is a significant milestone for India, Poland, and Hungary, marking a return to human spaceflight for these nations. The crew including veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson , includes Polish engineer Sławosz Uznański, Hungarian researcher Tibor Kapu, and India's Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The 14-day mission aims to foster international collaboration and scientific research aboard the ISS. Chairman V Narayanan, who is in the US to oversee the launch, confirmed the delay and expressed confidence in SpaceX's ability to resolve the technical issues. "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. SpaceX has also assured that once repairs are complete and pending range availability, a new launch date will be announced.
News18
2 days ago
- Science
- News18
Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom Mission Postponed: How Does Liquid Oxygen Leak Affect Take-Off? Explained
Last Updated: Liquid oxygen is oxygen that has been cooled to a point where it becomes a pale blue liquid and is used extensively in rocket propulsion systems and spacecraft life support systems India may have to wait a little longer to see its astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla in Space as the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, carrying three more astronauts, has been put off for the time being, with engineers seeking more time to repair a leak in the SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket. In a post on X, SpaceX announced that it was 'standing down" from the Falcon-9 launch of the Axiom-4 mission to allow repairs of the liquid oxygen leak identified during the post-static booster inspections. 'Once complete—and pending Range availability—we will share a new launch date," SpaceX said. Earlier, addressing a pre-launch press conference, SpaceX Vice-President William Gerstenmaier said engineers had fixed some snags in the Falcon-9 rocket that were discovered during the static fire test and had gone unnoticed during the post-flight refurbishment of boosters. Gerstenmaier said engineers had discovered a lock leak that was previously seen on the booster during its entry on the last mission and was not fully repaired during the refurbishment. WHAT IS LIQUID OXYGEN? Liquid oxygen (LOX) is oxygen that has been cooled to a point where it becomes a pale blue liquid. It's used extensively in rocket propulsion systems and spacecraft life support systems. LOX is essential for providing breathable air for astronauts, as well as being a key component in the fuel systems for launch. During pre-launch preparations, a liquid oxygen leak was detected in the system that supplies the spacecraft with oxygen for both life support and propulsion. The leak itself wasn't catastrophic, but it posed significant safety risks for the crew and the mission. Even a small leak of LOX in spacecraft systems can be dangerous because of the extremely cold temperatures of liquid oxygen (-183°C or -297°F) and the potential for it to evaporate into gaseous oxygen, creating risks for fire or explosions in the pressurised environment. WHY DID THE LEAK DELAY THE MISSION? Safety Concerns: The primary reason for delaying the mission was the safety of the crew. A leak in the oxygen system, especially if it couldn't be sealed or fully contained, could lead to catastrophic failure during launch or while in orbit. Ensuring that all systems are completely operational and leak-free is critical for crewed missions, and any issue with life support or propulsion systems could jeopardize the mission. Technical Complexities: Spacecraft systems, especially those used for crewed missions, are highly sensitive and complex. Even a seemingly minor issue, like a leak in the oxygen system, can trigger a more thorough investigation, technical fixes, and re-testing. Given the tight tolerance and precision required for these systems, any malfunction necessitates a delay to ensure that the spacecraft is fully operational and safe for launch. Crew Oxygen Supply: The spacecraft needs a stable supply of LOX to create breathable air for astronauts during launch, orbital operations, and re-entry. If there's a leak in the LOX system, it could compromise the crew's oxygen supply, especially during the early phases of flight when the spacecraft is still in the lower atmosphere and the crew is exposed to high g-forces and other launch stresses. Air Quality and Safety: In a crewed mission, any disruption to the life support system (like a leaking oxygen tank) is a serious concern. Spacecraft need to maintain precise levels of oxygen and pressure to ensure the crew's safety, and a leak could risk causing an unsafe environment. This would prevent the mission from launching until the leak was fixed or isolated. Launch Pad Procedures: In space missions, there are strict procedures for handling any anomaly during pre-launch, including detecting leaks in critical systems. A LOX leak detected prior to take-off would trigger an automatic halt to the launch sequence because safety is the top priority. This means that even if the leak were small, engineers would need to address it to ensure that the spacecraft could handle the extreme conditions of take-off. Fuelling and Pre-Flight Readiness: The fuelling process for LOX can take hours, and a leak could disrupt the timing of fuel loading. If the leak were detected during fuelling, the launch would need to be scrubbed and rescheduled after repairs, further delaying the mission. THE AXIOM MISSION The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission is part of a series of private spaceflights organised by Axiom Space, a private space company, to send private astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS). The Ax-4 mission is part of Axiom's goal to commercialise space travel and provide private citizens and researchers the opportunity to experience life in orbit and conduct research aboard the ISS. NASA's Axiom-4 mission will 'realize the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nation's first government-sponsored flight after over 40 years. While Axiom-4 marks these countries' second human spaceflight mission in history, it will be the first time all three nations will execute a mission on board the ISS. The four crew members will be led by Axiom Space's Director of Human Spaceflight, Peggy Whitson while Shukla will serve as the pilot in the mission. This historic mission highlights how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally. The space crew will carry out around 60 experiments during their 14-day stay in space, ranging from life science to technology demonstrations to diabetes research. First Published: News explainers Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom Mission Postponed: How Does Liquid Oxygen Leak Affect Take-Off? Explained
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Oxygen leak on SpaceX booster forces delay to Axiom Space mission to space station
SpaceX called off a planned Wednesday morning launch attempt of the crewed Axiom Space Ax-4 mission to deal with a liquid oxygen leak on the rocket booster. '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,' SpaceX posted on X late Tuesday. 'Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date.' The Ax-4 mission was aiming for an 8 a.m. liftoff with weather concerns looking to potentially delay the flight, but in the end hardware issues made those moot. Now forced to wait are Axiom Space employee and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson commanding a crew customers paid for by the governments of India and Hungary as well as Poland through the European Space Agency. 'Human spaceflight's really core to SpaceX's ultimate mission and flying crew safely is always our top priority,' said SpaceX's William Gerstenmaier, vice president of Build and Flight Reliability, during a Monday press call when he first discussed finding the leak. 'Spaceflight is really hard, and we're learning every day. The more we fly, the more we learn.' He said SpaceX had first detected the leak during the booster's previous flight, which was its debut launch in late April. 'We had not fully repaired the booster during refurbishment, or we didn't, actually, didn't find the leak and didn't get it corrected,' he said. At the time, he was confident SpaceX would have the rocket ready for the Wednesday attempt. 'We've gone out to the launch pad. We're continuing to troubleshoot that. We should get that completed (Monday) and we will have that back in configuration,' he said. 'We're installing a purge that will essentially mitigate the leak if it still continues, if we see it on launch day. So we will be fully ready to go fly.' In the end, SpaceX opted to hold off what would have been its third human spaceflight mission of the year following the March launches of the Crew-10 mission to the space station and the polar orbital mission Fram2. 'I think this shows the difficulty of getting ready. You can always be prepared, but doing the testing, doing the dry runs, doing the activities with the crew to make sure we are really ready, is tremendously important because we always learn something,' he said. Dana Weigel, NASA's International Space Station program manager, said any delay this week should not pose too much of an issue. 'We have launch opportunities all the way through June 30,' she said, and then a break until about the second week in July. 'So plenty of opportunities to fly to these people.' The mission aims to dock with the station the day after launch and then spend about two weeks on board before returning for splashdown off the California coast. It would be the fourth trip for Axiom Space to the station and second for Whitson for the company. Ax-4 would be her fifth trip to space overall and she would add to the more than 675 days in space she's already experienced in her career. That's the most for any American as well as the most for any woman in history. The three customers are India's Shubhanshu Shukla, taking the role of pilot, while Hungary's Tibor Kapu and Poland's Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski are mission specialists. None of those countries have had astronauts fly to space in more than four decades.
News18
2 days ago
- Science
- News18
Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom 4 Mission Launch Postponed Again
Last Updated: The Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others, has been postponed due to a leak in SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket. Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others, has again been postponed. According to the details, the mission was postponed after engineers sought more time to repair a leak in SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket. SpaceX announced that it was 'standing down" from the Falcon-9 launch of the Axiom-4 mission to allow repairs of the liquid oxygen leak identified during the post-static booster inspections. '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," SpaceX said in a post on X. 'Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date," SpaceX said. On Tuesday, a day before the launch, SpaceX, NASA and Axiom Space were closely watching weather patterns at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. Addressing a pre-launch press conference, SpaceX Vice President William Gerstenmaier said engineers had fixed some snags in the Falcon-9 rocket that were discovered during the static fire test and had gone unnoticed during the post-flight refurbishment of boosters. Gerstenmaier said engineers had discovered a lock leak that was previously seen on the booster during its entry on the last mission and was not fully repaired during the refurbishment. On Monday, ISRO chairman V Narayanan said that due to weather conditions, the launch of the Axiom-4 mission for sending Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS was postponed from June 10 to June 11. The Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission comprises Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shukla and specialists Tigor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland. The 14-day mission will 'realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary. First Published:
India Today
3 days ago
- Science
- India Today
Ax-4 launch postponed: Not just weather, SpaceX also found Falcon-9 engine issues
As SpaceX prepares to launch Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station aboard the Axiom-4 mission, the company is addressing last-minute technical snags alongside weather-related Falcon 9 rocket, slated for liftoff on June 11 at 5:30 pm IST, faced a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak and a thrust vector control (TVC) system malfunction in recent pre-launch checks, underscoring the complexities of reusable rocket a static fire test, engineers identified a LOX leak in the booster's upper stage—a recurring issue from its previous mission. William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability, explained, 'We discovered we had not fully repaired the booster during refurbishment or did not find the leak initially. We're installing a purge to mitigate it if it persists'. The Falcon 9 uses a mix of rocket-grade kerosene and supercooled liquid oxygen, making leak containment critical for stable combustion and thrust a TVC anomaly was detected in the booster's fifth engine, which directs thrust to maneuver the rocket during ascent and confirmed the affected components were replaced, and all repairs will be completed ahead of the launch window. These fixes follow a pattern of recent Falcon 9 anomalies, including a February 2025 LOX leak that caused an uncontrolled reentry over remains another variable, with a 20% probability of violating launch conditions on June 11 due to isolated showers. Backup opportunities on June 12 carry a 25% risk. Despite these hurdles, SpaceX conducted a successful dry dress rehearsal, and the crew remains on schedule. Group Captain Shukla's mission marks a milestone for India's space ambitions, aligning with the Indian Air Force's vision to expand its role in space exploration. The IAF publicly endorsed the mission, calling it a 'new chapter in the Indian Space Odyssey'.As SpaceX navigates technical and meteorological challenges, the launch underscores the delicate balance between reusability innovation and operational reliability in modern rocketry. Success would not only advance international collaboration but also reinforce India's growing influence in InMust Watch
