New Delhi [India], June 20 : It will take a few more days for India's Shubhanshu Shukla to create history as the second man in space from the country.
Union Minister for Science and Technology Jitendra Singh on Friday said that as per information received NASA will target a new launch date in coming day and is withdrawing from the possible scheduled date of June 22.
"Update on #AxiomMission4 to International Space Station #ISS: As per the information received, #NASA is "standing down" (withdrawing) from the launch of the mission, carrying four astronauts including India's Shubhanshu Shukla, on the possible scheduled date June 22, and will target a new launch date in coming days," the minister said in a post on X.
NASA earlier postponed the planned launch of Axiom Mission 4 to the International Space Station. The mission, which includes Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, was rescheduled for June 22 (Sunday).
The ISS said on Friday morning that NASA is standing down from a launch on Sunday, and that it will target a new launch date in the coming days.
"@NASA, @Axiom_Space, and @SpaceX continue reviewing launch opportunities for Axiom Mission 4. NASA is standing down from a launch on Sunday, June 22, and will target a new launch date in the coming days," the ISS said in a post on X.
According to the ISS, additional time is needed to evaluate station operations following recent repair work in the aft segment of the Zvezda service module. Due to the highly interconnected nature of the orbital laboratory's systems, NASA is reviewing relevant data to ensure readiness for the arrival of additional crew members.
Highlighting the global significance of the mission, ISS noted that the agencies "appreciate the historic nature of this mission for the nations of India, Poland, and Hungary, as well as the world." The four-member crew remains in quarantine in Florida and is prepared to launch once the station is cleared to receive them.
Axiom Mission 4 will be commanded by Peggy Whitson, a former NASA astronaut and now Axiom Space's Director of Human Spaceflight. Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla from ISRO will serve as the mission's pilot. The mission specialists are ESA project astronaut Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski from Poland and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.
SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft remain in good condition and are stationed at Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida.
Shubhanshu Shukla is one of the four Indian Air Force test pilots chosen for India's Gaganyaan Mission.