CAPE CANAVERAL (FLORIDA), June 11, 2025 — Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla’s much-anticipated journey to space aboard Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) has been put on hold after SpaceX identified a liquid oxygen (LOX) leak in the Falcon 9 booster. The launch, originally scheduled for 5:30 PM IST on June 11, was postponed late Tuesday night as the company opted to prioritize safety and carry out critical repairs.
In a statement, SpaceX said:
“Standing down from tomorrow’s Falcon-9 launch of Ax-4 to the International Space Station to allow additional time for SpaceX teams to repair the LOX leak… Once complete – and pending range availability – we will share a new launch.”
The issue emerged during routine post-static fire inspections of the booster, which had flown in a previous Starlink mission. William Gerstenmaier, SpaceX’s VP of Build and Flight Reliability, explained that the problem stemmed from incomplete repairs after the last flight.
“We discovered a LOX leak we hadn’t fully addressed. We’re now installing a purge system to mitigate any ongoing leak,” he said, reaffirming that “space flight is really hard, and we’re learning every day.”
In addition to the LOX anomaly, engineers had earlier identified a thrust vector control (TVC) issue in one of the engines, which has since been resolved with component replacements. SpaceX confirmed that other preparations, including the dry dress rehearsal, went smoothly.
For Shubhanshu Shukla, who is set to become one of India’s key private astronauts under the Axiom program, the delay is a temporary hurdle in a deeply personal and historic journey. While disappointment among space enthusiasts is natural, the response from the scientific and astronautical community has been unified: safety above all.
This marks yet another reminder of the unforgiving precision spaceflight demands. As humanity continues to push the boundaries of space exploration, setbacks like these reinforce the importance of caution, engineering discipline, and humility before launch.
A new launch window is expected to be announced soon, pending completion of repairs and range availability. Shukla and his Ax-4 crewmates remain in high spirits, preparing for liftoff when the stars — and systems — align.