Axiom Space Delays Launch for NASA Evaluation
New Delhi, Jun 18 (PTI) - Axiom Space announced on Wednesday that Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station has been postponed to June 22. This delay is to allow NASA to evaluate the operations on the orbital lab following recent repairs in the Russian section.
The Axiom-4 mission, which signifies the return to space for India, Hungary, and Poland, was initially set for lift-off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida on June 19 onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
"NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are now targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 22, for launch of the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4," Axiom Space stated in a release.
"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," it added.
The Axiom-4 commercial mission is under the leadership of Commander Peggy Whitson, with Shukla as the mission pilot, and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specialists.
The mission was initially scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but faced delays to June 8, then June 10 and June 11, due to a liquid oxygen leak in the boosters of the Falcon-9 rocket and leaks in the ageing Russian module of the International Space Station. "The #Ax4 crew remains in quarantine in Florida to maintain all medical and safety protocols. The crew is in good health and high spirits and looks forward to launch," Axiom Space said.
