NASA is standing down from the launch of Axiom 4 mission carrying Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) after sixth delay in launch.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh on X informed that as per information received NASA is 'standing down' (withdrawing) from the launch of the mission.
The mission, scheduled to take off from Kennedy Space Centre on June 22, has been delayed as NASA wants to review recent repairs in the aft (back) section of Zvezda service module on ISS.
The mission has faced multiple delays since its original launch date of May 29.
The first launch was cancelled due to issues with the electrical harness of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft intended to carry the crew.
The subsequent launch scheduled for June 8 was postponed by one day because the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket wasn’t ready.
The following day, bad weather along the flight path caused another 24-hour delay.
On June 10, an oxygen leak was detected in the Falcon 9 rocket, along with a problem in one of its actuators.
On June 11, NASA announced it was collaborating with Russia’s space agency to investigate a “new pressure signature,” which could indicate a leak in the rear section of a Russian module on the ISS.
By June 19, the launch was rescheduled to June 22. Axiom Space explained the delay was to allow NASA additional time to carry out inspections on the ISS after repairs to the Zvezda module.
Finally, on June 22, the latest delay was attributed to ongoing “operational and safety concerns” being addressed on the ISS.
“Because of the space station’s interconnected and interdependent systems, Nasa wants to ensure the station is ready for additional crew members, and the agency is taking the time necessary to review data,” the space agency said in a statement.
A new launch date is expected to be announced in the coming days. The current launch window remains open until June 30, and if the mission does not launch by then, the next available window will be in mid-July.
The Axiom-4 mission will be led by Indian astronaut Shubhranshu Shukla, with NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson as the pilot. The crew also includes Slawosz Uznanski from the European Space Agency and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
During their 14-day mission, the crew will travel to the ISS aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft. They will carry out around 60 experiments focused on fields such as life sciences, technology demonstrations, and diabetes research.
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