Axiom-4 Mission: When was Axiom Mission-4 delayed, why did it have to be postponed six times? The new date is still not decided..

Axiom-4 Mission: When was Axiom Mission-4 delayed, why did it have to be postponed six times? The new date is still not decided.. Newspoint | 20/06/2025 14:39:15

NASA has postponed the launch of the Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station on Sunday (June 22). Its new launch date has also not been announced. Axiom Space said in a statement, 'NASA has decided to withdraw from the launch on Sunday, June 22. The new launch date will be decided in the coming days.'

The space agency said that additional time is needed to continue evaluating the operation of the International Space Station after recent repair work in the rearmost part of the Zvezda service module of the orbital laboratory. Axiom Space's statement said that due to issues related to the space station, NASA wants to ensure that the station is ready for additional crew members. The agency is taking the necessary time to review the data.

When were the missions postponed?

Before the June 22 launch was postponed, the Axiom Space mission was to be launched on June 19. Earlier, preparations were made for its launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 11. It had to be postponed due to fuel leakage in SpaceX's Falcon-9 rocket and then leakage in the Russian segment of the ISS. Even before this, this 14-day mission was postponed on June 8 and 10. The mission was first to be launched on May 29.

When and why was it delayed?

According to ISRO, the Axiom-4 mission launch was first scheduled for May 29, but it was postponed to June 8 due to observations in the electrical harness in the Crew Dragon module. After this, the launch was postponed to June 9 due to a delay in the preparations of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The launch had to be postponed to June 11 due to bad weather on June 9.

Meanwhile, during a technical review with Axiom and SpaceX on June 10, ISRO recommended in-situ repair or replacement and low-temperature leak testing before finalizing the launch. The launch was postponed again on June 11 when engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak in the booster of the Falcon-9 rocket. Along with this, NASA also detected a leak in the old Russian module of the International Space Station. Later the new launch date was fixed as June 19.

Meanwhile, on June 18, ISRO said that the teams of Poland and Hungary discussed in detail with Axiom Space the possible launch timeline of Axiom Mission 4. After this, NASA and SpaceX were discussed to assess several parameters. Based on SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch rocket, the condition of the Dragon spacecraft, repairs in the Zvezda module of the space station, weather conditions, and crew health preparations, the next possible launch date has been fixed as June 22, 2025.

What is Axiom Mission 4?

This mission will be historic for India, as well as for Poland and Hungary. These two countries will participate in human space flight for the first time in 40 years. This will be the first time that India, Poland, and Hungary will go together to the ISS under a joint mission. This mission will be launched in a SpaceX Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket. The launch of the Axiom-4 crew will take place from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission was delayed repeatedly due to these reasons.

Delay in preparing the Falcon 9 rocket

Fuel leak in Falcon 9 rocket

Liquid oxygen leak in Falcon 9 rocket

Weather conditions

First Indian to reach the International Space Station.

Under this ambitious campaign, India is soon going to achieve a historic feat. India's Shubhanshu Shukla is now going to become the second Indian to go to space. Not only this, he will be the first Indian to reach the International Space Station (ISS). This mission is being carried out in collaboration with Axiom Space, a US space mission company, and NASA. Also, Elon Musk's SpaceX will play an important role in this mission.

The team will collect experiences through photos and videos

Let us tell you that three more astronauts will be involved with Shubhanshu in this mission. Shubhanshu Shukla will carry out many scientific missions during this campaign. Shubhanshu had earlier told in a press conference that he hopes that his space journey will inspire future generations. He said that he is also going to the ISS with a personal agenda. There he will collect his experiences through photos and videos. Shubhanshu said, I will share these experiences so that all Indians can feel the things seen through my eyes. I may be doing this journey as an individual, but this journey is of 1.4 billion people.

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