"Good Decision As Humans Involved": ISRO Chief To NDTV After Axiom Launch Delayed

India's cosmic leap of sending a second astronaut to space has to wait a little longer till the rocket the Falcon-9 vehicle is fully repaired.

The risks were too high of flying Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members on a Falcon-9 rocket that had developed a liquid oxygen leak, even though SpaceX was working to fix it in less than 24 hours. Ultimately, it seems all parties erred on the side of caution and decided to defer the flight. No new date has been given for the launch yet.

Indian space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), played a big role in making sure the launch is postponed till the oxygen leak is fixed on the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to ISRO's full satisfaction.

Dr V Narayanan, Chairman of ISRO, who is a liquid engine expert, said, "Based on the discussion on this topic by the ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX, it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation tests before clearing for the launch. The emphasis on carrying out necessary validation is typical of ISRO's rocket flying culture."

Speaking to NDTV, he said, it is a "good decision" to postpone the launch since human lives are involved.

Dr Narayanan is a well-known specialist on cryogenic engines and is aware of handling highly cooled liquid oxygen. He played a big role in developing India's own cryogenic engine, which uses liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen as fuel.

The ISRO Chief is currently stationed at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, actively monitoring the developments on the Falcon-9 launch. India has sent two teams of experts to the US for monitoring the Axiom-4 mission, and held active discussions with SpaceX and Axiom teams to come to the final decision to defer the flight till risks are mitigated.

SpaceX said the launch has been called off "to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post static fire booster inspections. Once complete - and pending Range availability - we will share a new launch date."

Indian rocket experts at ISRO, NDTV spoke to, were aghast that SpaceX was attempting to fix the leak on a rocket that will carry humans to space and the repairs were being attempted on the launch pad. The experts felt SpaceX was taking undue risk as systems need to be tested after a leak has been repaired.

"In India, we will never allow such a thing to happen, especially when humans are in the loop," they said.

Axiom-4 Mission

The Axiom-4 mission is a commercial space flight being spearheaded by a Houston-based private company, Axiom Space. India has purchased a seat on the Axiom-4 mission at the cost Rs 550 crores and so, India has a full stake in ensuring the safety of its own astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and the other crew members from US, Hungary, and Poland he is piloting on a 14-day mission to the International Space Station (ISS).

There are many opportunities till June 30 this year, when the Axiom-4 mission can still lift off, and further, there could be opportunities in the middle of July. Subsequently, the traffic to the International Space Station would be high.