NASA puts off Axiom-4 mission launch

 New Delhi, 20 June 2025:

Officials confirmed today that NASA has canceled the Axiom Mission 4's scheduled launch to the ISS on June 22, citing necessary safety assessments and ongoing technical work. Among the crew are mission specialists Slawosz Uznanski Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary , Indian Air Force pilot and ISRO astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla as pilot, and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson as commander. 

Axiom Space, NASA, and SpaceX jointly operate this commercial mission, which had already been repeatedly delayed because of bad weather, a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 booster, and issues with air pressure in the ISS's aging Russian Zvezda module.

Axiom Space issued a statement saying: “NASA has made the decision to stand down from a launch on Sunday, June 22, and will target a new launch date in the coming days,” adding that such a pause allows time to thoroughly review station conditions  . 

NASA emphasized that the Zvezda module's recent repairs necessitate ongoing integrity monitoring prior to the addition of new crew members, a strategy deemed "prudent and not uncommon under these circumstances" . 

ISRO affirmed that it is closely collaborating with Axiom, SpaceX, and NASA to guarantee that all systems adhere to strict safety regulations. The mission astronauts are in quarantine in Florida and are in good health while they wait to be cleared to leave.

After Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's 1984 flight, this will be India's second space mission and the first time an ISRO astronaut has visited the ISS. Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first member of the current Gaganyaan astronaut cohort to reach the ISS if he is successful. 

With a 14–21 day stay planned, Axiom 4 is the fourth private astronaut mission to the ISS. NASA reiterates that crew safety and equipment integrity come first with every new delay. Officials stated that after the station's technical readiness is guaranteed, a new launch time will be announced. 

Mission controllers will continue to conduct inspections and stay in line with SpaceX regarding landing slot coordination and booster readiness for the time being.