• Source:JND
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NASA has officially postponed the planned launch of the much-anticipated Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission, carrying Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, was earlier scheduled for Sunday, June 22, but will now be conducted on a future date, yet to be announced. In a statement issued by Axiom Space, the company organising the private spaceflight mission, it stated, "NASA has decided to stand down from a launch on Sunday, June 22, and will aim for a new launch date in the next few days."

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, an Indian Air Force pilot from Lucknow, is all prepared to make history as the second Indian to go to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's iconic 1984 flight on a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft. With more than 2,000 flying hours on advanced combat aircraft like the MiG-29 and Su-30 MKI, Shukla has been chosen to fly the Ax-4 mission. Shukla will be accompanied by Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary, creating a three-man crew under Axiom's commercial partnership with NASA and SpaceX. The global crew is in pre-flight quarantine in Florida, staying in mission-ready status until confirmation of the new launch window.

Technical Review Caused Delay

The Axiom-4 mission has been plagued with a series of delays for the last few months due to technical problems, safety checks, and poor weather. Nonetheless, NASA and Axiom have both repeated their belief in safety and mission accomplishment at the expense of schedules. NASA referred to a need for more time in evaluating International Space Station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the orbital laboratory’s Zvezda service module. 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.

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The agency stated that though a "small leak" was found, leaks are "not uncommon" and that it is being dealt with seriously. "NASA is allowing the time it needs to look at data. The intention is to make sure the station is prepared to welcome additional crew," the statement said. Because life-support and other systems on the ISS are interconnected, engineers are doing thorough checks to make sure that the space station is completely ready to welcome a new international crew or not.

ALSO READ: Shubhanshu Shukla's ISS Trip Gets New Date As Axiom-4 Mission To Lift Off On June 19 After Multiple Delays

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), having invested more than 550 crore rupees in this commercial spaceflight collaboration with Axiom and SpaceX, reaffirmed that "safety and mission integrity remain top priorities" as the agencies continue to iron out last-minute problems. The next few days will be decisive, with meteorologists monitoring launch-day weather, engineers completing safety tests, and scientists cross-verifying payload readiness. For India and the world, the Ax-4 mission is not a mere technical exercise; it's a quantum leap of hope, ambition, and collaboration across borders.