The Axiom-4 mission, which was scheduled to carry Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three other crew members to the International Space Station (ISS), has been postponed yet again due to a technical snag in SpaceX’s Falcon-9 rocket.
The mission, originally scheduled for June 10, 2025, and later rescheduled to June 11 at 5:30 pm IST, now faces an indefinite delay with no new date announced. The delay comes after engineers detected a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak during post-static fire inspections of the rocket boosters.
SpaceX announced the delay through an official statement, saying it was “standing down” from the Falcon-9 launch to allow time for necessary repairs. “Once complete and pending Range availability, we will share a new launch date,” the company said in a post on X.
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
Leak detected during hot test on launch pad
ISRO Chairman V Narayanan confirmed that the LOX leak was identified in the propulsion bay during a seven-second hot test conducted on the launch pad. The hot test was aimed at validating the performance of Falcon-9’s booster stage. “The ISRO team discussed with experts at Axiom and SpaceX and it was decided that the leak would be fixed and necessary validation tests conducted before clearing for the launch,” Narayanan stated.
As a result, the Axiom-4 launch scheduled for June 11, 2025, which was to carry the first Indian “Gaganyatri” to the ISS, has been officially postponed.
Axiom Space also confirmed the development, stating: “During the post-static fire investigation of the Falcon-9 booster that supports the Axiom-4 mission, SpaceX teams identified a liquid oxygen leak that requires additional work.” The company added that SpaceX continues to work closely with Axiom Space and partners to resolve the issue.
The mission was to be commanded by veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson, with pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, and specialists Tigor Kapu (Hungary) and Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski (Poland) onboard. The 14-day mission is significant for India, Poland, and Hungary as it marks a return to human spaceflight for all three nations.
Initially set for May 29, the Axiom-4 mission was postponed multiple times — first to June 8, then June 10, and finally June 11 — due to technical and weather-related concerns.
Engine troubles and previous leak overlooked
During a pre-launch press briefing on Monday, SpaceX Vice President William Gerstenmaier elaborated on the technical issues that have plagued the Falcon-9 rocket.
“We are continuing to troubleshoot that. We should get that completed today and we will have that back in configuration. We are installing a purge that will essentially mitigate the leak if it still continues… on the launch day,” he said, PTI reported.
Gerstenmaier also confirmed that a thrust vector control issue was discovered in engine 5, and the associated components have since been replaced.”Engineers had fixed some snags in the Falcon-9 rocket that were discovered during the static fire test and had gone unnoticed during the post-flight refurbishment of boosters,” he added.
