SpaceX was resetting the countdown clock for the next human SpaceFlight, but NASA’s decision forced the International Space Station to another delay for the Private Axiom Space AX-4 mission.
NASA said it would take more time to evaluate recent repairs to a year ago leak to the Russian side of the station.
“Because of the space station’s interconnected interdependent systems, NASA wants to make sure the station is ready for additional crews, and agents are taking the time to review the data,” NASA said in an update Thursday.
So what was scheduled for early Sunday morning was cancelled, and NASA was cancelled, stating that a new launch target would be created within the next few days.
The launch opportunity will run daily until June 30 for the Falcon 9 rocket topped with the launch of a new Crew Dragon capsule from the Kennedy Space Center, taking four private astronauts into space.
The mission is the fourth trip to the Axiom Space station and the second trip, led by former NASA astronaut and current Axiom employee Peggy Whitson. This was her fifth trip to space, including her NASA mission, and has been in space for more than 675 days in total so far.
She leads three clients from three countries that have not sent astronauts into space for over 40 years. The pilot will be played by India’s Shuvansch Shukla, while Poland’s Swos Uznaski, project astronauts for the European Space Agency, and Hungary’s Tibor Kap are mission specialists.
The Quartet will spend about two weeks on a space station that will carry out more than 60 experiments, including ones in partnership with NASA.
“NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX appreciate the historical nature of this mission in India, Poland, Hungary countries and the world,” NASA said. “The crew will remain in Florida quarantine, and astronauts are ready to set up when the station is ready to receive them.”
SpaceX and Axiom Space had already been watching repairs for the first phase booster of the Falcon 9 after its launch attempt was cancelled last week due to weather. NASA has since announced that it will suspend the launch to monitor partners at Repairs Space Station that Roscosmos has made to the Zvezda service module.
The private mission to the station is part of Axiom Space’s long-term plan to build its own space station.
The mission originally targeted the 2024 launch, but faces a series of delays, including having to give up on the NASA Crew 10 mission that flew in March, the Crew Dragon Endurance, the originally planned ride.
The trade-off is that the AX-4 crew will fly in SpaceX’s fifth and become its final Crew Dragon capsule. It gives them the traditional honor of naming it once it reaches orbit.
Since its first human spaceflight in 2020, SpaceX has transported four other crew dragon spacecraft into space 17 times.
