Florida: The much-anticipated Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which includes Indian astronaut Shubham Shukla, has hit yet another delay. The launch, originally slated for June 22, has been postponed once more, further deepening uncertainty around the mission’s schedule. NASA has not announced a revised launch date.
In an official statement, NASA clarified that alternate launch windows for the Axiom-4 mission are currently under review. Following recent maintenance operations aboard the ISS, additional time is needed to evaluate readiness and ensure that the station can safely host the incoming crew. The agency emphasized that comprehensive verification of system operations and safety parameters is still ongoing.
Axiom-4 marks the fourth private spaceflight mission coordinated by NASA in partnership with Axiom Space and SpaceX. The mission will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, a veteran NASA astronaut and now Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space. The international crew includes Shubham Shukla from ISRO (India), Sławosz Uśniewski-Wiśniewski from Poland representing the European Space Agency (ESA), and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
The mission is set to lift off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with the Dragon spacecraft carrying the four-member crew.
While mission controllers continue to refine timelines, space enthusiasts and scientific communities around the globe remain on edge especially as this mission symbolizes increased global collaboration in commercial space exploration.