Why Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission has been postponed five times?
The launch of Axiom-4 mission, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed to June 22 for the fifth time.
The Axiom-4 mission, which marks the return to space for India, Hungary, and Poland, was earlier scheduled to blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre (KSC) in Florida on June 19 onboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.
"Nasa, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 22, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4," Axiom Space said in a statement.
The mission was originally scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but was then put off to June 8, then June 10 and June 11. The mission has been rescheduled five times due to multiple issues, including delay in Falcon 9 vehicle preparedness, weather conditions, liquid oxygen leak on Falcon 9 rocket and a fault in the service module aboard the ISS.
Also Read: Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom Mission 4 launch deferred; NASA, SpaceX release new date
The Axiom-4 mission launch was originally targeted on May 29, but was postponed to June 8 due to observation in electrical harness in Crew Dragon Module, ISRO said in a statement.
However, there was delay in the preparedness of the SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket delayed the launch to June 9.
On June 9, the launch was postponed to June 11 over bad weather conditions.
"Due to weather conditions, the launch of Axiom-4 mission for sending Indian Gaganyatri to International Space Station is postponed from 10th June 2025 to 11th June 2025. The targeted time of launch is 5:30 PM IST on 11th June 2025," ISRO said in a post on X.
Also Read: When will Axion-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubanshu Shukla lift off? Launch time, crew and other details
During a technical review with Axiom and SpaceX on June 10, ISRO recommended in-situ repairs or replacement and a low-temperature leak test, before clearing the launch.
On June 11, the launch was postponed again when engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak in the boosters of the Falcon-9 rocket and NASA detected leaks in the ageing Russian module of the International Space Station.
The latest postponement would allow NASA to evaluate the operations on the orbital lab after the recent repairs in the Russian section.
"The change in a targeted launch date provides NASA time to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station's Zvezda service module," , Axiom Space said on Wednesday.
The Axiom-4 mission is significant for India due to several reasons. The mission, with Captain Shubhanshu Shukla on board, will make him the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma's 1984 mission.
Moreover, Shukla is part of Axiom Space's fourth private astronaut mission, marking a historic moment for India's space collaboration with NASA.
Also Read: Moong Dal Halwa to Aamras, know what Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla is carrying for Axiom Space's Ax-4 mission
During the 14-day stay at the ISS, ISRO will conduct seven microgravity research experiments proposed by several national R&D laboratories and academic institutions, according to a report in The Hindu.
The experiments include impact of microgravity radiation on Edible Microalgae, sprouting salad seeds in space and the survival, revival, reproduction and transcriptome of Tardigrades in space.
Apart from the seven experiments, NASA and ISRP will conduct five more experiments focused on human research programmes.
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