Space Station leak investigation continues to shift launch date of Axiom Space crew
NASA said pushing the Axiom 4 Mission launch provides more time for NASA and Rosmoscos to evaluate the situation and determine if any additional fixes are needed. A new launch date will be announced in the coming days, according to the space agency.
Axiom Mission 3 has successful launch of crew from Florida
FILE VIDEO: Axiom Mission 3 launched a private crew to the International Space Station.
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. – An active investigation into a leak repair on the International Space Station continues to cause NASA to shift the launch of four private astronauts on the Axiom Space Mission 4.
The Axiom Mission 4 crew was set to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Dragon spacecraft last week from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, but a leak with SpaceX's rocket at the space station has delayed the private mission. Then the mission faced an additional delay after NASA said it needed more time for an ongoing investigation to understand a "new pressure signature, after the recent post-repair effort" on the space station’s Zvezda service module.
Roscosmos cosmonauts recently completed repair work on the service module to stop the leak, which has been monitored by flight controllers for a few years. NASA said after the repairs, the pressure remained stable in the transfer tunnel and the hatch seal between the ISS and the back of the Zvezda module. Previously, the pressure would have dropped in this area, indicating the small leaks may be fixed, according to NASA.
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Axiom Space and NASA have passed on several launch opportunities while the evaluation is ongoing. Most recently, NASA said it was standing down from a launch opportunity on Sunday, June 22.
"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 said on Thursday.
The crew for the Axiom Mission 4 private astronaut mission to the International Space Station. Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Commander Peggy Whitson from the U.S., and Mission Specialists Sławosz Uzanański-Wiśniewksi from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
(Axiom Space/SpaceX / FOX Weather)
Meanwhile, on the ground, SpaceX teams repaired the liquid oxygen leak on the Falcon 9 rocket and completed another wet dress rehearsal, clearing the way for liftoff when the ISS is ready for the crew.
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The Axiom Mission 4 is commanded by Axiom Space’s director of human spaceflight and former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson and includes Indian Space Research Organization astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, European Space Agency project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, of Poland, and Tibor Kapu, of Hungary.
"NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX appreciate the historic nature of this mission for the nations of India, Poland, and Hungary, as well as the world," NASA said. "The crew remains in quarantine in Florida, and the astronauts stand ready to launch when the station is ready to receive them."
When it happens, the 14-day private mission astronauts will conduct dozens of experiments and scientific research on the orbiting lab.