Ax-4 Mission Now Scheduled for June 22
Private Mission Set to Launch to the International Space Station
NASA and SpaceX are targeting no earlier than Sunday, June 22 for Falcon 9’s launch of the Axiom Space Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) to the International Space Station from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Launch is targeted for 3:42 a.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Monday, June 23 at 3:20 a.m. ET.
This is the first flight for the Dragon spacecraft and the second flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched a Starlink mission. Following stage separation, Falcon 9’s first stage will land on Landing Zone 1 (LZ-1) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
During their time on the orbiting laboratory, the crew will conduct more than 60 scientific experiments and demonstrations focused on human research, Earth observation, and life, biological, and material sciences.
The mission had originally been scheduled to launch earlier this month, but was delayed to allow SpaceX teams to repair a liquid oxygen leak identified during post-static fire Falcon 9 rocket inspections. The launch was delayed further when a pressure leak was identified in the Russian Zvezda module of the ISS. NASA said in a news release that Cosmonauts aboard the space station recently performed inspections of the pressurized module’s interior surfaces, sealed some additional areas of interest, and measured the current leak rate. Following this effort, the segment appeared to be holding pressure. The postponement of Axiom Mission 4 provided additional time for NASA and Roscosmos to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary. NASA defers to Roscosmos to answer specific questions about the Zvezda module.
Axiom Space says the Ax-4 mission will “realize the return” to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, with each nation’s first government-sponsored flight in more than 40 years. While Ax-4 marks these countries' second human spaceflight mission in history, it will be the first time all three nations will execute a mission on board the International Space Station. This historic mission underscores how Axiom Space is redefining the pathway to low-Earth orbit and elevating national space programs globally.
A rising tide raises all ships - and the Ax-4 mission is absolutely doing that! This first flight for the Dragon spacecraft is exciting!