NASA, the US Space agency, have just announced the delay of the Axiom Mission 4 because of operational issues and concerns. It was scheduled to be launched on June 22, 2025; however, there is a delay again. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon are at the launchpad stage at Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. This mission is going to be India, Poland and Hungary’s first government-sponsored flight in 40 years and also the second human flight of the three countries in the past.

Crew Members

As per ISRO, Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, and Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Tibor Kamu, the mission specialists and crew of the Commander, are set to be in quarantine in Florida, where the launch date is finalised. The crew will spend up to 14 days on the International Space Station and perform scientific experiments.

Mission Delays

This mission is going to be the first time for India in 40 years that an Indian is going to space after Rakesh Sharma. Shubhanshu Shukla is going to be the first man to step onto the ISS. There have been seven delays till now. The first launch was scheduled on May 29, but was delayed to June 8 because of the electrical harness observations. This date was later transferred to June 9. Then there occurred a delay due to weather till June 10.

After June 10, the delay occurred till June 11 because of the oxygen leak in the engine, which was anticipated by ISRO. This date again got delayed because NASA announced work with the Russian Space Agency and was evaluating a new pressure signature. The launch was scheduled on June 19, where the discussion regarding weather and health of the crew took place, and the date was again shifted to June 22.

Final Date

NASA has found a new and final date for the launch of the Axiom 4 mission. All three nations are excited, and the new date of launch is expected to arrive on June 25, 2025, at 12:01 PM IST as per a post announced on X by ISS.

A long-hidden plume of magma beneath Oman’s Salma Plateau may have played a surprising role in shaping the Indian subcontinent’s ancient journey, researchers report. This “ghost” plume — hot material trapped beneath Earth’s thick crust — cannot erupt but may have shifted the Indian tectonic plate’s course during its dramatic collision with Eurasia tens of millions of years ago. First detailed in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, the finding reveals a new class of deep mantle plumes that shape continents silently, without the typical signature of surface volcanoes.

Hidden ‘Ghost’ Plume Beneath Oman May Have Steered India’s Collision Path with Eurasia

As per a Live Science report, the plume was detected using seismic data from Oman’s dense sensor network. Under the leadership of geophysicist Simone Pilia, the group discovered that the plume altered the way sound waves moved through Earth’s layers, which in turn pointed to its presence. Unlike most mantle plumes, which rise and erupt through the oceanic plates, Dani is amagmatic and does not create surface eruptions because of the thick continental crust above the plume. This finding means that there may potentially be many hidden plumes lurking beneath continents.

The Dani plume is the first such non-eruptive plume beneath a continental plate, which is broadening scientists’ view of how mantle dynamics unfold out of sight. The researchers also calculated the movement of the Indian plate and found that it took a significant turn between 40 and 25 million years ago, which might have been affected by the shear stress created by the plume. The plume’s effects on topography are expected to be small regionally, but its geological role could be relatively large.

While plumes typically leave a visible volcanic trail—like Hawaii’s island chain—the Dani plume’s evidence may have been erased by subduction activity in the nearby Makran zone. Still, researchers say this finding opens the door to discovering more “ghost” plumes, particularly in regions with similar thick crusts, such as Africa. As seismic technologies advance, more silent subterranean forces shaping Earth’s history may come to light.

High winds have once more prevented Blue Origin from launching six people to suborbital space on the company’s New Shepard rocket. The mission, NS-33, was initially scheduled to launch on Saturday, June 21, from the company’s launch site in West Texas. However, adverse weather conditions forced a postponement, and a second attempt on Sunday morning was scrubbed as well due to continued high winds. Blue Origin has yet to announce when the next launch window will be, but they stated via social media that the team is “assessing our next launch opportunity.”

Blue Origin’s 13th Human Spaceflight NS-33 Delayed Again as Six Civilians Await Suborbital Trip

As per a report by Space.com, NS-33 will mark the 33rd overall flight of the New Shepard vehicle and Blue Origin’s 13th human spaceflight mission. Most previous flights have supported uncrewed research missions, but this flight will carry six civilian passengers, including Allie and Carl Kuehner, known for their work in conservation and exploration; philanthropist and beekeeper Leland Larson; entrepreneur Freddie Rescigno, Jr.; author and attorney Owolabi Salis; and retired lawyer Jim Sitkin. The delay adds to the mission’s significance as it continues Blue Origin’s trajectory of expanding commercial spaceflight.

The New Shepard system, fully autonomous and reusable, delivers passengers to suborbital space for brief yet profound experiences—roughly 10 to 12 minutes in duration. Riders experience several minutes of weightlessness and view Earth from the edge of space before the crew capsule safely returns under parachutes. The first human spaceflight for Blue Origin took place in July 2021, which lifted off with founder Jeff Bezos, his brother Mark, aviation pioneer Wally Funk, and Dutch student Oliver Daemen.

Yet the delay of NS-33 is a reminder that even the most sophisticated spaceflight activity is no match for the weather. Its next launch try has not been confirmed, but the company’s fourth flight with humans this year is eagerly awaited.