Shubhanshu Shukla’s space mission postponed again, Axiom-4 mission put on hold due to liquid oxygen leak

New Delhi. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 mission has been postponed once again. It was decided to put a break on the mission after a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak was detected during the inspection of the booster after the ‘static fire’ test. Under this mission, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Air Force was to be sent to the ISS.

SpaceX has confirmed the postponement of the launch of the Axiom-4 mission scheduled for the International Space Station (ISS). The Axiom-4 mission with Shubhanshu was scheduled to launch at 5.30 pm on Wednesday. The Axiom-4 mission includes astronauts from India, Poland and Hungary.

SpaceX posted on X, writing, “Tomorrow’s launch of the Falcon 9 rocket for the Ax-4 mission is being postponed so that SpaceX teams can fix the LOx leak. The company further said that the new launch date will be shared based on the completion of repairs and range availability.

Earlier, SpaceX had said in a statement, “The weather is 85 percent favorable for launch. However, strong winds are being monitored in the ascent corridor.” Shubhanshu was selected for the Ax-4 mission by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to the US in 2023. This mission is the result of collaboration between India and NASA. Shubhanshu has received special training from SpaceX and Axiom Space.

This is the fourth time the Axiom-4 mission has been postponed. The launch had to be postponed a few days ago as well. At that time the weather conditions were not favorable and there was a 45 percent chance of rain. Strong winds were reported at the launch site.

Once launched, the astronauts under the Ax-4 mission will spend about 14 days at the International Space Station. During this time they will conduct many scientific experiments related to microgravity, life sciences and material science. These experiments will be conducted in collaboration with researchers from more than 30 countries across the world.

This mission is not only a milestone in India’s space program, but it also reminds us of Rakesh Sharma’s historic mission of 1984. Shubhanshu Shukla is a Group Captain of the Indian Air Force and is one of the four astronauts of the Gaganyaan program.