According to NASA, a continuous leak on the Russian side of the International Space Station has prompted an indefinite delay in human spaceflight planned from the Kennedy Space Center.
Axiom Space was aiming to launch an AX-4 mission with four private astronauts this week on the SpaceX Falcon 9 on KSC’s launch pad 39-A, but was already facing delays due to the weather and liquid oxygen leaks on the rocket’s booster.
However, SpaceX was ready to launch a static fire on Thursday to check for repairs on the booster, but NASA announced that a visit from Axiom Space has been pending for an investigation into the recent repairs of the Zvezda service module with Russian space agency Roscosmos.
Zvezda module leaks first began in 2019, but worsened in 2024. To mitigate its effectiveness, Roscosmos keeps the hatch to the module closed if not used as a progress supply and docking port for Soyuz spacecraft.
The latest repairs to the latest segment of the module have stopped losing pressure, NASA said, but the agency still chose to delay the visit of the axioms.
“Astronauts on the space station recently inspected the internal surface of the pressurized module, sealing off additional areas of interest and measuring current leakage rates,” NASA said in a press release. “Following this effort, this segment is currently under pressure. The postponement of Axiom Mission 4 will provide additional time for NASA and Roscosmos to assess the situation and determine if additional troubleshooting is needed.”
The space station crew 73, made up of seven astronauts and astronauts, had expected a population of four to increase with the arrival of the AX-4 this week after about two weeks of visit.
The Ax-4 mission would be led by former NASA astronaut and current axiom employee Peggy Whitson, who would have been on his fifth space trip. She commands the Axiom Space customer crew, consisting of Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who holds the role of pilot, Hungarian mission specialist Tibor Kapu.
Governments in India, Hungary and Poland have not sent astronauts into space for over 40 years.
However, their return to space is uncertain in leakage investigations. NASA previously said there would be a launch option by June 30th and a launch option again in the second week of July, but traffic has been busy at the space station, including alternative crew rotation flights at the end of July.
Original issue: June 12, 2025, 12:43pm EDT
