Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission delayed again due to..., now to lift off on...

The Axiom-4 mission (Ax-4) to the International Space Station, piloted by Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has been delayed again. The lift off has been postponed to June 22. Originally scheduled to launch on June 10, the space agency had delayed the mission multiple times. 

Axiom has released a statement, "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 Evezda service modulem."

ISRO has released a statement on X, "Teams from ISRO, Poland, and Hungary engaged in a detailed discussion with  Axiom Space, regarding the probable launch timeline of Axiom Mission 4. Following this, Axiom Space held consultations with NASA and SpaceX to assess multiple readiness parameters. Based on the readiness status of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle, the Dragon spacecraft, repairs in the Zvezda module of the Space Station, ascent corridor weather conditions, and the health and preparedness of the crew in quarantine, Axiom Space has informed that the next probable launch date is 22 June 2025."

 June 18, 2025

Why multiple delays?

The Axiom-4 mission is undergoing major safety reviews and hardware checks.It was scheduled to launch on May 29. Initially, the launch was first delayed due to unfavourable weather conditions. It was again delayed to June 11 due to liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 booster. Then, a leak discovered earlier this month during testing led to another postponement. 

About Axiom-4 mission

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first Indian to go to the International Space Station (ISS). IAF Group captain Shubhanshu Shukla, is a part of Axiom Space Mission Ax4, along with commander Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

Axiom Mission-4 (Ax-4), is an international collaboration, with astronauts from India, the US, Hungary, and Poland. The estimated cost of this mission is staggering 550 crores. The Axiom Mission 4, will be launched using the SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket, from NASA's Kennedy space centre. It is an important collaboration between the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), NASA, and Axiom Space.