Launch Opportunities for Axiom Mission 4 Under Review by NASA and Partners

NASA, Axiom Space, and SpaceX are evaluating potential launch windows for Axiom Mission 4, the fourth private astronaut mission to the International Space Station (ISS), with no earlier target than Thursday, June 19.

The mission was delayed on June 12 as NASA continued to coordinate with Roscosmos to assess recent repair efforts addressing minor leaks in the Zvezda service module’s aft section—an area flight controllers have monitored for several years.

Since the latest repair, pressure levels in the module’s transfer tunnel have remained stable, a positive sign suggesting the leaks may have been sealed. However, teams are also considering whether the stable pressure may be due to a small air transfer across the hatch seal from the station’s main area. To better understand the situation, engineers are adjusting the pressure within the tunnel and tracking changes over time to assess both the tunnel and hatch seal integrity.

Adjusting launch schedules to align with evolving space station operations is common among NASA and its international partners. Continued analysis of the tunnel configuration has led to a revised launch opportunity for Axiom Mission 4.

Meanwhile, SpaceX has resolved a liquid oxygen leak discovered during post-static fire checks of the Falcon 9 rocket. After completing necessary repairs, the company successfully carried out a wet dress rehearsal.

Axiom Mission 4 will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and current director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. Mission specialists include European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Hungarian astronaut Tibor Kapu.

The crew will launch aboard a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.