Blog

You are currently viewing Ax-4 Astronaut Mission Faces Further Delay Due to Liquid Oxygen Leak
Ax-4 Astronaut Mission Faces Further Delay Due to Liquid Oxygen Leak

Ax-4 Astronaut Mission Faces Further Delay Due to Liquid Oxygen Leak

June 10, 2025, the much-anticipated Axiom-4 (Ax-4) astronaut mission, set to send a crew of four including Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed yet again. The latest delay stems from a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak detected in the propulsion bay of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during a pre-launch hot test.

Technical Glitch Halts Countdown

Originally slated for a June 10th launch, and then rescheduled for June 11th at 5:30 PM IST, the mission now faces an indefinite delay with no new launch date announced. Both SpaceX and the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) confirmed the postponement and the reason behind it.

ISRO, in a statement, explained that a seven-second hot test was conducted on the launch pad as part of the launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of the Falcon 9’s booster stage. It was during this critical test that a LOx leakage was identified in the propulsion bay.

SpaceX echoed this, stating on X (formerly Twitter) that they are “standing down” from the launch to allow additional time for their teams to repair the LOx leak detected during post-static fire booster inspections. “Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date,” SpaceX confirmed.

A Series of Postponements

This is not the first setback for the Ax-4 mission. The launch has been delayed multiple times, initially from May 29th, then to June 8th, June 10th, and finally June 11th, primarily due to weather conditions and earlier technical issues. During a pre-launch press briefing, William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s Vice President of Build and Flight Reliability, had also mentioned a thrust vector control issue with engine 5, which had since been addressed. He admitted that a previous LOx leak had gone unnoticed during post-flight refurbishment of the booster, highlighting the complexities of spaceflight.

The Crew and the Mission’s Significance

The Ax-4 crew comprises a diverse international team:

  • Commander Peggy Whitson (United States), a veteran astronaut with extensive experience.
  • Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (India), who will become the first Indian astronaut to travel to the ISS and only the second Indian to journey to space, following Rakesh Sharma’s historic 1984 mission. This marks a significant milestone for India’s human spaceflight ambitions, especially in the context of its Gaganyaan program.
  • Mission Specialist Tigor Kapu (Hungary).
  • Mission Specialist Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland).

The 14-day mission holds immense scientific importance. The crew is expected to conduct over 60 scientific experiments and demonstrations focusing on human research, Earth observation, and life, biological, and material sciences. For Shubhanshu Shukla, a key part of his mission will involve India-specific scientific experiments developed by ISRO and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), with support from NASA. These include research on growing fenugreek and green gram in microgravity, aimed at developing self-sustaining life-support systems for future deep-space missions. The seeds grown in space will be brought back to Earth for multi-generational studies.

Present status 

While the indefinite delay is undoubtedly frustrating for the crew and the partnering space agencies, it underscores the paramount importance of safety in human spaceflight. The detection and rectification of such technical anomalies are critical to ensuring the mission’s success and the astronauts’ well-being.

The delay will necessitate rescheduling for range availability at Kennedy Space Center and may have cascading effects on other missions awaiting their launch windows, though specific details on this are yet to be fully disclosed. However, NASA’s International Space Station Program Manager, Dana Weigel, had previously stated that there are ample launch opportunities for the Ax-4 mission throughout June and into July, suggesting flexibility in the schedule.

The collaborative nature of the Ax-4 mission, involving Axiom Space, NASA, SpaceX, and ISRO, highlights the growing trend of international cooperation in commercial spaceflight and the shared pursuit of scientific advancement in microgravity. As repairs are undertaken and validations completed, the space community awaits a new target launch date for this significant mission, which carries the hopes and scientific aspirations of multiple nations.