The highly anticipated launch of Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), which is set to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla into space, has been further delayed. Axiom Space announced on Wednesday morning that the mission, involving SpaceX and NASA, is now targeting a launch no earlier than Sunday, June 22. The postponement comes as NASA requires additional time to thoroughly evaluate recent repair work conducted on the International Space Station (ISS).
The original launch date for Ax-4 was June 19 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. However, the American space agency needs to ensure the stability and safety of the orbital laboratory following maintenance in the aft (back) segment of the ISS’s Zvezda service module. This module, part of the Russian segment, recently underwent repair work.
This is not the first delay for Axiom Mission 4. The mission has faced several postponements over the past month, with initial dates set for May 29, then pushed to June 8, June 10, and June 11. Previous delays were attributed to various factors, including a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 booster and earlier detected leaks in the aging Russian module of the ISS.
Despite the series of delays, the Axiom Space crew, including Mission Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, Commander Peggy Whitson (former NASA astronaut), and Mission Specialists Tibor Kapu of Hungary and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, remain in quarantine in Florida. Axiom Space confirmed that the crew is in “good health and high spirits” and eagerly awaits the launch.
Shubhanshu Shukla’s participation in Ax-4 marks a significant milestone for India’s space program, as he will be the second Indian to venture into space since Rakesh Sharma in 1984, and the first Indian to visit the ISS. The 14-day mission is slated to include approximately 60 scientific experiments, with Shukla specifically undertaking seven homegrown experiments designed by ISRO and five under the ISRO-NASA collaboration. This mission is considered crucial in preparing for India’s ambitious Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
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