Washington [US]: SpaceX on Wednesday announced the postponement of its much-anticipated Falcon 9 launch of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing the need for additional repairs following the discovery of a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak during booster inspections.
“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,” SpaceX said in a post on X.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) soon confirmed the delay, noting that the launch, originally scheduled for June 11, 2025, has been postponed. This mission is set to carry Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS, in what would have been a historic milestone for India’s human spaceflight program.
ISRO released an official statement explaining that a seven-second hot test carried out to validate the booster stage revealed the LOX leakage in the propulsion bay. After consultations between SpaceX, Axiom Space, and ISRO, it was decided to rectify the leak and conduct further tests before clearing the launch.
Despite the delay, the Ax-4 mission remains a landmark effort. The flight is poised to be the first government-sponsored human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary in over 40 years, according to Axiom Space.
The crew includes:
- Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla (India) – the second Indian astronaut in space after Rakesh Sharma in 1984.
- Slawosz Uznanski (Poland) – ESA project astronaut and Poland’s second national astronaut since 1978.
- Tibor Kapu (Hungary) – Hungary’s second astronaut since 1980.
- Peggy Whitson (USA) – mission commander and holder of the record for the longest cumulative time in space by an American astronaut.
Axiom Space emphasized that Ax-4 will mark the first ISS mission featuring astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary together, and is only the second commercial spaceflight involving government-sponsored astronauts and ESA participation.
The mission carries a robust research portfolio of 60 experiments and scientific activities from 31 countries, the largest ever in an Axiom mission. These studies span human research, Earth observation, life sciences, and materials science, reflecting global scientific collaboration in microgravity research.
Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla expressed pride in representing India on this historic mission:
“The team that I’m flying with on this mission is fantastic. These are moments that remind you that you’re part of something far bigger than yourself… It is my sincere endeavor to inspire a generation of young minds back home.”
He added that if his journey could ignite curiosity or influence even one young life, it would be a personal success.
Once SpaceX resolves the technical issue and pending range availability, a new launch date will be announced.