WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - NASA has reset the launch of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station to June 19.
'NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are reviewing launch opportunities no earlier than Thursday, June 19', the U.S. space agency said, adding that leaks aboard the aging orbital outpost were sealed.
After three previous postponements, the mission was set to launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida last week, but it was cancelled after detecting a liquid oxygen leak.
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.
'Following the most-recent repair, pressure in the transfer tunnel has been stable. Previously, pressure in this area would have dropped. This could indicate the small leaks have been sealed. Teams are also considering the stable pressure could be the result of a small amount of air flowing into the transfer tunnel across the hatch seal from the main part of space station. By changing pressure in the transfer tunnel and monitoring over time, teams are evaluating the condition of the transfer tunnel and the hatch seal between the space station and the back of Zvezda,' NASA said in a press release, referring to the leaky Russian service module.
It added that teams are making progress evaluating the transfer tunnel configuration, resulting in an updated launch opportunity for the private astronaut mission.
In addition, SpaceX teams have repaired a liquid oxygen leak identified during post-static fire Falcon 9 rocket inspections. Following the repairs, the aerospace technology company completed a wet dress rehearsal of the Falcon 9.
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