KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL – NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX have further delayed the Axiom Space AX-4 commercial astronaut mission to the ISS following the discovery of further air leaks aboard the ISS that have been ongoing since 2019 in the Russian Zvezda module.
The new target is no earlier than Thursday, June 19.
The private crew will only be launched when it is safe and NASA and the partners are satisfied that the air leaks have been mitigated sufficiently.
This new delay follows the LOX leak that delayed the launch planned for June 11.
Everything had been looking good for a liftoff of the Axiom Mission 4 carrying 4 astronauts to the International Space Station at 8 AM ET on Wednesday, June 11, until SpaceX engineers discovered a LOX leak in the first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket – upon further review of data from a static fire test of the first stage Merlin 1D engines that was conducted on Sunday afternoon June 8.
Enjoy our photos from the Space UpClose team of Ken Kremer and Jean Wright of the integrated SpaceX Falcon 9 and brand new Crew Dragon – the 5th in the SpaceX fleet of Crew Dragons.
This 4th commercial mission by Axiom Space is led by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson – on her 5th spaceflight.
3 other rookies crewmates round out the crew of 4 from India, Hungary and Poland.
Peggy is currently Americas most experienced astronaut with 675 days in space!
Barely three weeks ago she was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
The 4 person international crew from US, India, Poland and Hungary will conduct over 60 science experiments – including research on diabetes.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot.
The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
Details from NASA
NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are reviewing launch opportunities no earlier than Thursday, June 19, for the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station, Axiom Mission 4.
On June 12, NASA and Axiom Space delayed the mission as the agency continued to work with Roscosmos to understand the most recent repair efforts to seal small leaks. The leaks, located in the aft (back) most segment of the International Space Station’s Zvezda service module, have been monitored by flight controllers for the past few years.
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.
It is not uncommon for the agency and its international partners to adjust launches around changes in operations aboard the space station. 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 company completed a wet dress rehearsal of the Falcon 9.
Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the commercial mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.
The crew will lift off aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft on Falcon 9 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
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Ken Kremer interviews about Ax-4 on Wesh 2 NBC and WFT ABC News Orlando
https://www.wesh.com/article/axiom-4-launch-cape-canaveral-delayed/65117812
https://www.wesh.com/article/space-station-leak-delay-axiom-4-launch-soon-florida/65079908
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