Axiom-4 mission launch postponed to June 22; India’s Shubhanshu Shukla’s area plans delayed for NASA analysis

This photograph supplied by Axiom Area reveals Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Peggy Whitson from the U.S., Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
| Photograph Credit score: AP

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 mission to the Worldwide Area Station has been postponed to June 22, to permit NASA to judge the operations on the orbital lab after the current repairs within the Russian part, Axiom Area introduced on Wednesday (June 18, 2025).

The Axiom-4 mission, which marks the return to area for India, Hungary, and Poland, was earlier scheduled for lift-off from NASA’s Kennedy Area Centre in Florida on June 19 onboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.

“NASA, Axiom Area, and SpaceX at the moment are focusing on no sooner than Sunday, June 22, for launch of the fourth personal astronaut mission to the Worldwide Area Station, Axiom Mission 4,” Axiom Area mentioned in a press release.

“The change in a focused launch date offers NASA time to proceed evaluating area station operations after current restore work within the aft [back] most section of the Worldwide Area Station’s Zvezda service module,” it mentioned.

The Axiom-4 business mission is led by Commander Peggy Whitson, with Mr. Shukla as mission pilot and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu and Poland’s Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski as mission specialists.

The mission was initially scheduled for lift-off on Could 29 however was then delay to June 8, then June 10 and June 11, when engineers detected a liquid oxygen leak within the boosters of the Falcon-9 rocket and NASA additionally detected leaks within the ageing Russian module of the Worldwide Area Station.

“The #Ax4 crew stays in quarantine in Florida to keep up all medical and security protocols. The crew is in good well being and excessive spirits and appears ahead to launch,” Axiom Area mentioned on X.