The launch of Axiom Mission 4, which will mark Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s maiden voyage to space, has been postponed once again, with a new target date of June 22, Axiom Space announced. The delay comes as NASA continues to assess recent repairs on the Zvezda service module in the International Space Station (ISS).
Originally scheduled for May 29, the mission has now faced multiple delays due to technical issues, including a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak in the SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket and a fuel leak in the Russian section of the ISS.
Shukla will pilot the mission, while former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now Axiom’s Director of Human Spaceflight, will command it. The 14-day commercial mission will also carry two mission specialists: Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland (ESA) and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The crew is set to launch aboard SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft, propelled by a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
Despite the setbacks, Axiom Space and its partners remain committed to safety and are optimistic about the June 22 window, pending final evaluations from NASA.
