Crew’s safety, integrity of Axiom mission our top priorities, says ISRO
The statement comes a day after the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) announced further delay in the launch of the mission due to a leak at the International Space Station (ISS).
“ISRO is working closely with Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation, which is causing the Axiom‑4 delay. Safety and mission integrity remain our top priorities,” said ISRO chairman Dr V Narayanan.
The launch of Axiom Mission-4 also includes the launch of India’s first astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the ISS.
The mission was originally slated to launch on May 29. It was initially deferred to June 8 due to observation in electrical harness in Crew Dragon Module. Delay in preparedness of the Falcon 9 vehicle for the launch postponed it by another day to June 9.
The mission was further delayed to June 10 due to unfavourable weather conditions. “Additional observation of oxygen leakage in the engine bay was observed during the preparation for hot fire test conducted on June 8, 2025, the ISRO said.
Moreover, an anomaly was observed in one of the engine actuators that was replaced along with the controller. Anticipating the quick resolution of the liquid oxygen leak issue, the launch was rescheduled to June 11, ISRO said.
During the appraisal of technical issues by Axiom and SpaceX to the ISRO delegation on June 10, India’s space agency recommended to carry out in-situ repairs or replacement and conduct a low-temperature leak test to validate system performance and integrity, before proceeding with the launch clearance.
On June 11, 2025, NASA said their team was working with the Russian space agency to evaluate a new pressure signature, indicating a leak in the end of ISS Zvezda Russian service module, after the recent repair attempt. In order to assess the situation and determine the need for further troubleshooting, the launch of Axiom-4 mission has been postponed yet again.
The revised launch schedule will be announced by NASA and Axiom after the activities and technical reviews were satisfactorily completed.
India