Axiom-4 mission, which will carry India’s Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station (ISS) has now been delayed for the sixth time. The spacecraft is now scheduled to take-off on June 22. SpaceX’s Falcon 9 with the Dragon lifted off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida and was delayed while the teams worked through data from recent testing of on-orbit Russian Segment hardware. The crew members are still quarantined in Florida, following rigorous medical and safety protocols, Axiom Space mentioned. All four astronauts are in excellent health, with Shukla in “very high spirits” as they proceed with their pre-flight training for the historic mission.
India’s Shukla to Fly on Ax-4 Mission as NASA Eyes June 22 Launch After ISS Repairs
As per an official statement from SpaceX on Thursday, NASA, SpaceX, and Axiom are aiming for a new launch window at 3:42 a.m. ET Sunday, June 22, with a backup opportunity at 3:20 a.m. ET the next day. The postponement enables NASA to finish a series of reviews of operations inside the station’s Zvezda service module following maintenance work on the module. It is the maiden flight for this Dragon spacecraft and the second flight for this Falcon 9 rocket. Two hours before the launch window opens, live broadcasting will start.
Earlier, the spacecraft was scheduled to take-off on June 19, however, following Thursday’s announcement, that has once again been delayed. Once the mission reached its destination, the crewmembers will perform several experiments to gain knowledge about the outer space and its effects. The crew is being commanded by Peggy Whitson, with India’s Shukla as pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as specialists, has been beset by a Falcon 9 oxygen leak and the ISS’s ageing Russian section.
The crew is expected to perform more than 60 experiments on the ISS, such as human physiology, Earth observation, biology, and materials science. Falcon 9’s first stage will land at Cape Canaveral’s Landing Zone 1 while Dragon will dock withthe lab.
The launch countdown for SpaceX’ Dragon spacecraft will include propellant loading, engine chill, and ignition commands. The mission will reach “Max Q” following launch, demonstrating international collaboration in the commercialisation of space, in which Shukla will play a pivotal role for India.
