The launch of the Axiom-4 mission, which carries India’s first spacecraft pilot, Shubhanshu Shukla, has been delayed due to a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak.
A liquid oxygen leak in Falcon 9 delays India’s Axiom-4 human spaceflight to the ISS
Photo Credit: Axiom Space
The Indian crewed mission Axiom-4 was postponed because of a leak in the forward stage of the Falcon booster in the course of testing. The mission was to launch Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station, possibly making him the country's first spaceflier. It was set to launch on June 11, 2025. Alongside him were mission commander Peggy Whitson (USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary), with a plush swan toy named Joy as their symbolic zero-gravity indicator.
As per ISRO Chairman V Narayanan, during the test, a LOx leak in the propulsion bay was detected. Axiom Space and SpaceX technical experts discussed the issue and decided to address it and make sure the system works properly before the next launch date. People are waiting for a new launch date, but the delay is considered a vital step to maintain the safety requirements for operations and crew. Axiom Space says that Ax-4 is the first time in more than 40 years that the government has supported a human spaceflight from India, Poland, or Hungary.
Shukla is set to become the first Indian to pilot a spacecraft, a milestone unmatched even by Rakesh Sharma's historic 1984 mission. He will be joined by Peggy Whitson (mission commander, USA), Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland), and Tibor Kapu (Hungary). A plush toy swan named Joy will accompany them as a zero-gravity indicator. The crew is in pre-launch quarantine now. In preparation for the mission, they have undergone complex simulations, theoretical discussions, and ocean splashdown drills.
On their missions onboard the ISS, the team will carry out 60 scientific experiments, seven of which have been led by Shukla. The partnership of 31 nations, which comprises human physiology in space, artificial intelligence, materials science, and biological studies, displays the mission's global collaborative nature and universal scientific ambition.
India, with cooperative foreign partners, will carry out Ax-4, a mission to “conduct one or a few experiments in space”, once the issue with the Falcon 9 is resolved and the final tests are met. This is going to be one of the biggest moments in history.
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