After delays, Axiom-4 with India’s Shukla set for launch today

The announcement of the new launch slot came Tuesday morning, just a day before the mission that was previously scheduled for June 22.

The mission has been delayed several times since its initial schedule of May 29 due to various reasons, ranging from problems in the launch vehicle and changes in pressure on ISS’ Zvezda module. The leak in Zvezda was first detected in 2019 and space agencies have been working for years to fix it. Repairs were carried out ahead of the Axiom-4 mission.

“Because of the space station’s interconnected and interdependent systems, NASA wants to ensure the station is ready for additional crew members, and the agency is taking the time necessary to review data,” NASA had said while postponing the June 22 launch with two days to go.

The final delay came because all systems needed to be checked, according to an Indian official. “Even after fixing the leak on the ISS, the US space agency had to check all systems to see whether they had been impacted. This was the reason for the additional delay,” the official said.

The astronauts — US’ Peggy Whitson, Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski, Hungary’s Tibor Kapu and Shukla — have been in quarantine since mid-May, as per norms, to ensure that they do not get an infection while in space and to prevent the introduction of bugs in the space environment.

The mission had also been postponed because of problems in the electrical harness of the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft that was to carry the astronauts, a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket and inclement weather in the flight path. This was followed by repairs for the leak on ISS.

Themed ‘Realize the Return’, the fourth private mission to the ISS will see an Indian back in space after 40 years — in 1984, Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma spent almost eight days on-board the Soviet Salyut-7 Orbital Station.

“When Rakesh Sharma went to space in 1984, India did not even have a launch pad. The first launch pad came up in 1993 and the second in 2005. Now, we are already gearing up for our own human mission. India is now a partner and at the forefront of research,” Union MoS Dr Jitendra Singh had told The Indian Express earlier.

On the ISS, Shukla — referred to as “Shux” by his crew mates — will conduct seven experiments for India and participate in several other international exercises. From the space station, he will also interact virtually with students, academics, dignitaries and representatives from the country’s budding space industry.