Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 mission delayed for the 5th time, SpaceX now eyes June 22 launch | Technology News

The Axiom-4 mission, which is set to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station, has been delayed once again. Elon Musk’s astronautics company SpaceX  said in a statement that they are targeting June 22, Sunday, for the launch of the Falcon 9 spacecraft carrying the Ax-4 crew.
SpaceX said in a statement, “SpaceX is targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 22 for Falcon 9’s launch of Axiom Space’s Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is targeted for 3:42 a.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Monday, June 23 at 3:20 a.m. ET.”
Axiom Space, in a statement, said that continued repairs and technical checks are the reason behind the delayed launch date.
Story continues below this ad

“The change in a targeted launch date provides NASA time to continue evaluating space station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module,” Axiom said in its statement.
Shubhanshu Shukla, who is set to pilot the mission, is on the cusp of hory via the Ax-4 mission as he will become the second Indian to go to space, after astronaut Rakesh Sharma.
The Axiom-4 commercial mission is led Commander Peggy Whitson, with Shukla as mission pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specials.
The mission was originally scheduled for lift-off on May 29 but was then put off to June 8, then June 10 and June 11, when engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak in the boosters of the Falcon-9 rocket and NASA also detected leaks in the ageing Russian module of the International Space Station.Story continues below this ad
After multiple technical snags, the mission is finally expected to launch on Sunday, with the lift off set to be broadcast live. During the crew’s time aboard the International Space Station, they will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments and demonstrations focused on human research, Earth observation, and life, biological, and material sciences.