Axiom-4 mission: For the purpose to finish repairs linked to a LOx leak, SpaceX said on June 11 that the much-anticipated Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission, which would use their Falcon 9 spacecraft, will launch delayed. On June 11, Indian Air Force officer Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members were scheduled to board the mission and go to the International Space Station (ISS).
According to a statement by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a new date would be announced shortly. The leak was found during post-static fire booster checks.
Although a new date was not immediately announced, one is anticipated shortly. ISRO said that the launch would only be approved after the resolution of the leak and the completion of the required validation tests by Axiom and SpaceX specialists.
Axiom-4 Mission delayed: What Space X said
To be able to give SpaceX technicians more time to fix the LOx leak found during post-static fire rocket inspections, we are delaying tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the Space Station. A new launch date will be shared once everything is finished, subject to range availability, the official account said on X.
What did ISRO announce regarding the Axiom-4 Mission delay?
In a statement released on June 11, ISRO mentioned that the mission, which was intended to send the first Indian Gaganyatri (astronaut) to the ISS, has been delayed.
“During the preparation of the launch vehicle to assess the performance of the Falcon 9 launch vehicle’s booster stage, a seven-second hot test was performed on the launch pad. It was noted that a LOX leakage was identified in the propulsion bay during this test,” ISRO indicated.
“Following discussions between the ISRO team and the experts from Axiom and SpaceX, it has been decided to rectify the leak and conduct the necessary validation tests prior to clearing the launch. As a result, the Axiom 04 launch, initially scheduled for June 11, 2025, to send the first Indian Gaganyatri to the ISS, has been postponed,” it further stated.