Axiom-4 mission to be launched soon, Shubhanshu Shukla to get a shot at history again
NASA
, Axiom Space, and
SpaceX
have postopned the launch date of their manned mission to the
International Space Station
. The new date now will not be earlier than June 22,
Axiom Space
said in a statement, giving
ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla
another shot at making history.
The mission is the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station,
Axiom Mission 4
with Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, as the command of the commercial mission and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut
Shubhanshu Shukla
will serve as pilot.
The 14-day mission will see Shukla conduct seven experiments designed by ISRO, marking a major milestone for India's human spaceflight program.
Additionally, the two mission specialists are European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
"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," the statement said.
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The crew will lift off aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on
Falcon 9
from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Repeated delays and glitches
On Saturday,
ISRO
had announced that Axiom-4 mission would be scheduled for Thursday, June 19. Space X team has confirmed that all the issues, that led to earlier postponement of the launch, have been duly addressed. Further update, if any , will be accordingly shared," he added.
Ax‑4 had faced multiple delays due to a Falcon 9 liquid‑oxygen leak and a pressure anomaly in a module aboard the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX and NASA stopped previous launch attempts to ensure all systems were thoroughly tested and secure.
The launch of Ax-4 has faced four postponements last week due to a series of technical issues and safety concerns. Problems included faults in the electrical harness of the Crew Dragon module, unprepared launch vehicle systems, unfavorable weather conditions, and most recently, an oxygen leak in the Zvezda module of the ISS.
ISRO stated that it had recommended in-situ repairs and a low-temperature leak test to validate the system's performance before clearing the mission for launch.
'ISRO is working closely with Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the Ax‑4 delay,' said ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, adding that 'safety and mission integrity remain our top priorities.'
The Ax-4 mission is seen as critical in preparing for ISRO's
Gaganyaan mission
, which aims to send a three-member crew to a 400 km orbit for a three-day mission. ISRO expects Shukla's experience aboard the ISS to offer valuable operational insights that will shape India's upcoming human spaceflight and the eventual construction of the Bharatiya Antariksh Station.
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