'Safety, Mission Integrity Top Priorities': How ISRO Helped Flag Rocket 'Leak' In Axiom-4 Mission
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While this further delayed India's return to spaceflight, it ensured that a potential disaster was prevented as ISRO insisted on thorough repairs
After ISRO demanded due diligence, a major disaster was averted with the timely detection of a fault in the Falcon-9 rocket, which is the Russian module of the ISS.
While this has further delayed India's return to spaceflight as part of the Axiom-4 private mission, it ensured that a potential disaster was prevented as the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) insisted on thorough repairs. The fault was detected after a demand for due diligence by chairman Dr V Narayanan, reported NDTV.
'NASA and Axiom Space are postponing the launch of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station," a NASA statement said on June 12.
Falcon-9 will carry India's Shubhanshu Shukla, along with three other astronauts, and is scheduled to travel to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of the Axiom-4 commercial mission. But this has now been put on indefinite delay as the space agencies involved address issues that have cropped up ahead of the launch.
'Safety and mission integrity remain our top priorities," Narayanan said in a post on X.
Narayanan said ISRO is working closely with Axiom Space, NASA and SpaceX, as they responsibly address the ISS Zvezda module observation causing the delay. The astronauts were originally scheduled for lift-off on May 29, which was put off to June 8, June 10 and June 11.
The 14-day mission will 'realise the return" to human spaceflight for India, Poland and Hungary. 'Setbacks and delays are a normal part of spaceflight. Our Ax-4 crew remains upbeat and looking forward to a safe and successful flight to the Space Station," Whitson said in a post on X.
HOW DID ISRO HELP?
According to the NDTV report, the fault has been fixed even as ISRO confirmed the new launch date for the mission to be June 19.
Experts were quoted in the report that the rocket could have suffered a major failure during liftoff since liquid oxygen can cause a fire. So, the space agencies set about fixing a 'crack in an oxidiser liner".
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