NASA and Axiom Space have postponed the launch of the Ax-4 mission to the International Space Station (ISS), citing a leak in the Russian service module Zvezda as the cause of the delay. The mission includes Polish astronaut Dr Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, who is set to become the second Pole in history to travel into space.

According to an official NASA statement, the delay results from a new pressure anomaly detected following recent repair work on the aft section of Zvezda, part of the station’s Russian segment. NASA is working closely with Russia’s space agency Roscosmos to investigate the issue further.

“Cosmonauts aboard the space station recently performed inspections of the pressurised module’s interior surfaces, sealed some additional areas of interest, and measured the current leak rate,” the statement reads. 

“Following this effort, the segment is now holding pressure. The postponement of Axiom Mission 4 provides 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.”

You can read the entire statement here.

No revised launch date has yet been announced.

This marks the fourth time the Ax-4 mission has been postponed. The launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket—tasked with delivering the crew aboard the Dragon capsule—was initially scheduled for 29 May, and later rescheduled to 8, 10, and then 12 June. Previous delays were attributed to high-altitude winds along the flight corridor, technical issues with the Dragon capsule, and a liquid oxygen (LOx) leak in the Falcon 9’s first stage.

The Ax-4 crew comprises mission commander Peggy Whitson (USA), pilot Shubhanshu Shukla (India), mission specialists Tibor Kapu (Hungary) and Dr Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski (Poland/ESA).

This mission marks Axiom Space’s fourth commercial crewed flight to the ISS. Poland’s participation is the result of a joint agreement between the country’s Ministry of Economic Development and Technology and the European Space Agency (ESA), supporting the IGNIS technology and science mission aboard the ISS. The Polish Space Agency (POLSA) is also involved in the preparation phase.

Thirteen Polish scientific experiments and technological innovations are slated for delivery to the space station as part of the mission. Dr Uznański-Wiśniewski’s flight will be a historic milestone for Poland, following in the footsteps of Mirosław Hermaszewski, who became the country’s first astronaut in 1978.

The Ax-4 mission is set to launch from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Source: PAP, NASA

Photo: @NASA

Tomasz Modrzejewski