Twice in 3 Days: Shubhanshu Shukla’s Axiom-4 Mission Delayed Again, This Time Due to Gas Leak

Washington: The launch of the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) mission to the International Space Station (ISS), which includes Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, has been postponed once again—this time due to a technical issue with the rocket.

This is the second delay in three days for the much-awaited mission that will carry Shukla, who is set to become the second Indian in history to go to space after Rakesh Sharma’s 1984 mission.

According to Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, a leak in the liquid oxygen (LOx) system was discovered during post-test checks.

In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter), SpaceX said, "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."

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The new launch schedule is expected to be announced after the repairs are completed and launch range clearance is confirmed.