NEW DELHI (dpa-AFX) - The launch of Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, has been postponed for the fourth time after detecting a a liquid oxygen leak.
The mission was set to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 8 a.m. ET, Wednesday.
But a news release published late Tuesday said, 'NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are standing down from the launch opportunity on Wednesday, June 11, of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair a liquid oxygen leak identified during post-static fire Falcon 9 rocket inspections'.
A new launch date will be provided once repair work is complete, pending range availability, it added.
The four-member crew, led by veteran former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, was scheduled to travel to the orbiting laboratory on a new SpaceX Dragon spacecraft after launching on the company's Falcon 9 rocket.
Whitson, who is the director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are European Space Agency project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
They will stay aboard the orbiting laboratory for approximately two-weeks, conducting science research, education, and commercial activities.
NASA's mission responsibility is for integrated operations, which begins during the spacecraft's approach to the space station.
As part of collaboration between NASA and Indian Space Research Organisation, Axiom Mission 4 delivers on a commitment highlighted by President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to the station.
The space agencies are participating in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics demonstrations. NASA and ISRO have a long-standing relationship built on a shared vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration.
The private mission marks India, Poland, and Hungary's first government-sponsored human spaceflight in more than 40 years.
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