Axiom-4 Launch Delayed Again; Mission With India's Shubhanshu Shukla Now Set For 22 June Launch To ISS

The Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which had already experienced several delays, has been postponed once more.

Initially set for 19 June, the launch will now not take place before Sunday, 22 June, according to the latest update.

Among the four-member crew is Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who will journey to the ISS alongside three others.

"Axiom Mission 4," Axiom Space confirmed in a statement, "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."

The company further explained: "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."

Originally slated for liftoff on 29 May, the mission has encountered successive delays - first to 8 June, then to 10 and 11 June - after engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak in the boosters of the Falcon 9 rocket. There were also concerns about additional leaks in the ageing Russian Zvezda module of the ISS.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) also confirmed the delay via a post on X.

The Axiom-4 commercial mission will be led by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla serving as the pilot. Hungary's Tibor Kapu and Poland's Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski will act as mission specialists. The launch is to take place aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Group Captain Shukla, an active Indian Air Force pilot and ISRO's latest astronaut, is set to become one of the few Indians to travel to the ISS. During the mission, he will carry out seven scientific experiments developed in India, in addition to joint research projects with NASA.

Axiom Space stressed that every precaution is being taken to ensure the mission's success. The Ax-04 mission is also a key step in Axiom's broader ambition to expand commercial access to low-Earth orbit and to construct the world's first commercial space station.