Earlier this mission was to be launched on June 11, but it was postponed due to oxygen leak in the propulsion bay.
New Delhi: The Axiom-4 mission to take Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) has been postponed for the sixth time. It was to be launched on June 22, but it was postponed due to security check of ISS. Earlier this mission was to be launched on June 11, but it was postponed due to oxygen leak in the propulsion bay.
Second Indian after Rakesh Sharma
In Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4), four astronauts from four countries are going to the space station for 14 days. They include Peggy Whitson from the USA, Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski from Poland, and Hungary’s Tibor Kapu. Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, referred to as Shux by his crewmates, will become India’s second astronaut in space and the first one to go to the ISS. In 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma spent almost eight days on board the Soviet Salyut-7 Orbital Station.
NASA said that more time is needed to review and conduct safety checks on the recent repair work done in the rear of the ISS’s Zvezda service module. Many systems of the space station are interconnected, so it is important for the new team to have all technical systems fully ready.
Oxygen leak
SpaceX teams need more time to fix the liquid oxygen (LOX/ LOXygen) leak found in the booster inspection after the static fire test and will announce the new launch date once the repair is complete and the range is available.
Objective of the mission
The main objective of the Ax-4 mission is to do research in space and test new technology. This mission is also to promote private space travel and is part of the Axiom Space planning, which plans to build a commercial space station (Axiom Station) in the future.
Scientific experiments: Conducting various experiments in microgravity.
Technology testing: Testing and development of new technologies in space.
International collaboration: Providing a platform to astronauts from different countries.
Educational activities: Inspiring people on Earth from space and spreading awareness.
About Shubhanshu Shukla
Shubhanshu Shukla joined the Indian Air Force in 2006 and has also been selected for ISRO’s Gaganyaan mission, which is India’s first human space mission. To become an astronaut, he took special training in Russia and America. In this, he learned to work in microgravity, emergency handling, and scientific experiments.
