Axiom-4 Launch Delayed Again Due to LOX Leak; Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s ISS Journey Postponed
Axiom-4 Launch Delayed Again Due to LOX Leak; Indian Astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s ISS Journey Postponed
SpaceX cites liquid oxygen leak in Falcon 9 booster; ISRO confirms additional validation tests needed before India’s first ISS mission can proceed.
Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla has been put off due to snag in the rocket. A new date for the launch will be announced soon.
SpaceX, whose Falcon 9 rocket was supposed to carry the astronauts to the International Space Station under the mission, has announced on X (formerly Twitter) that extra time is needed to “repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections” on the rocket.
“Standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date,” said SpaceX.
Why has the mission been postponed? Shedding more light on why the mission has been postponed yet again, Indian Space Research Organisation said that a LOX (Liquid Oxygen) leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during a seven-second hot test that was carried out on the launch pad. Thus, it has been decided to first correct the leak and carry out necessary validation tests before clearing for the launch, said ISRO.
“As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test. Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed,” it said in a post on X.
Not the first delay This is not the first time the mission has been postponed. It was initially scheduled to lift off on June 10, but was delayed to June 11 due to “unfavourable weather,” the Indian Space Research Organisation announced on Monday.
The mission was rescheduled to lift off at 5:30 PM IST on June 11 but has now been delayed again due to technical issues. The new launch date and time has not yet been announced.
Historic mission for India Indian Air Force pilot Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla has been selected as the pilot for the Axiom-4 mission. Shukla is set to become the first Indian astronaut to visit the International Space Station, and only the second Indian to travel to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s historic 1984 mission aboard Soviet Russia’s Soyuz spacecraft.
