The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) on Monday said it is working closely with Axiom Space to refresh time-sensitive experimental specimens, following the rescheduling of the Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS) for June 19.
In a post on X, ISRO said: “@NASA, @Axiom_Space & @SpaceX are targeting no earlier than June 19 for the #Ax4 mission to the @Space_Station. Indian Principal Investigators & @isro are coordinating with @Axiom_Space to refresh time-sensitive experimental specimens. #Space #AxMission4 #ISRO #ISS.”
The Axiom-4 mission includes Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, who will become the second Indian to travel to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission.
Union Minister of State for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh confirmed the new launch date in a June 14 post on X, saying: “Launch date of the Axiom-4 mission carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla to the International Space Station is, as of now, rescheduled for June 19, 2025.”
He added that the technical issues which caused the initial delay had been resolved: “The SpaceX team has confirmed that all the issues that led to the earlier postponement of the launch have been duly addressed.”
The delay was first announced by SpaceX on June 11, when the company cited a need for additional time to repair a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak identified during post-static fire booster inspections. “Standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon 9 launch of Ax-4 to the @Space_Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOx leak identified during post-static fire booster inspections. Once complete – and pending Range availability – we will share a new launch date” SpaceX said on X.
The Ax-4 mission is Axiom Space’s fourth private astronaut flight to the ISS. The Ax-4 crew includes astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary. According to Axiom, this will be the first government-sponsored human spaceflight for the three nations since the 1980s.
