Axiom Launch To Send Shubhanshu Shukla To Space Deferred For Rocket Repair

The launch of the Axiom-4 mission that will carry India's second astronaut to space was postponed for a fifth time on Wednesday.

In a post on X, SpaceX said the mission to the International Space Station (ISS) was deferred due to a technical glitch in its Falcon 9 rocket that is being used for the launch. The new date for the launch is yet to be decided.  

"Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station 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," it posted on the microblogging site.

The LOx leak refers to an oxygen leak.

Standing down from tomorrow's Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station 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 pic.twitter.com/FwRc8k2Bc0

— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 11, 2025

Group Captain Shukla will be the first Indian to fly to the ISS under the private astronaut mission that will launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule on a Falcon 9 rocket, from the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The mission is jointly being undertaken by Axiom Space Inc, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). 

According to ISRO, the oxygen leak was detected in the propulsion bay during a performance test. 

"As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch pad. It is understood that LOX leakage was detected in the propulsion bay during the test. Based on the discussion on this topic by ISRO team with the experts of Axiom and SpaceX it has been decided to correct the leak and carry out necessary validation test before clearing for the launch. Hence the launch of Axiom 04 slated for  11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS is postponed," ISRO Chairman Dr V Narayanan said on X. 

Postponement of Axiom 04 mission slated for launch on 11th June 2025 for sending first Indian Gaganyatri to ISS.

As part of launch vehicle preparation to validate the performance of booster stage of Falcon 9 launch vehicle, seven second of hot test was carried out on the launch…

— ISRO (@isro) June 11, 2025

The mission was scheduled to take off on Tuesday but was kept on hold due to bad weather. The last time it was deferred was from June 8 to June 10 - again on grounds of adverse weather conditions.

Thirty-nine-year-old Shukla will be accompanied by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and mission commander, Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Once docked, the astronauts are scheduled to spend up to 14 days aboard the orbiting laboratory, conducting a mission comprising science, outreach and commercial activities.

Group Captain Shukla's travel to space comes four decades after Rakesh Sharma's iconic spaceflight onboard Russia's Soyuz spacecraft in 1984. He will serve as the Mission Pilot.

A decorated test pilot with the IAF, Mr Shukla was shortlisted under ISRO's Human Spaceflight Program (HSP) and is among the top contenders for the Gaganyaan mission, India's first indigenous crewed orbital flight. His journey aboard the Axiom Mission 4 is expected to provide critical hands-on experience in spaceflight operations, launch protocols, microgravity adaptation, and emergency preparedness - all essential for India's crewed space ambitions.

The Group Captain will conduct seven experiments in the fields of agriculture, food and human biology when he travels to the ISS next month.