Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 11: The much-anticipated Axiom-4 space mission, which was scheduled to lift off on June 11 carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla along with three international crew members to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed following the detection of a technical snag in the launch vehicle.
According to an official announcement from SpaceX, the mission had to be “stood down” after a routine post-static fire inspection revealed a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket’s propulsion system. The leak was detected during a seven-second hot test conducted on the launch pad, meant to validate the performance of the booster stage.
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan confirmed the postponement and stated that the issue was identified in the propulsion bay. “Following discussions between ISRO, Axiom Space, and SpaceX technical teams, it was decided to halt the mission temporarily to carry out necessary repairs and conduct fresh validation tests,” he explained.
In a statement released on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX assured that work was underway to resolve the issue and that a new launch date would be communicated soon, subject to availability of the launch window.
The Axiom-4 mission team, which includes veteran astronaut Commander Peggy Whitson, pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Tigor Kapu from Hungary, and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, will have to wait for the technical issue to be resolved before commencing their space journey.
Axiom Space reiterated that they continue to work in close coordination with SpaceX and other partners to ensure mission safety and readiness.
The Axiom-4 launch is especially significant for India as it marks the first time an Indian Gaganyatri is part of a commercial mission to the ISS.