The Axiom 4 mission is apparently back on track after two unrelated leaks—one in orbit and one on the ground—were resolved, clearing the way for the launch of Axiom Space’s next private mission to the International Space Station.
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a new Crew Dragon capsule with four private astronauts aboard for the Ax-4 mission. No official launch date or time has been set yet, but there has been some speculation about a Thursday pre-dawn liftoff at 4:53 AM ET. Given the lack of any official notifications of the launch attempt, it seems highly unlikely one will happen on that date.
The mission faced multiple delays last week. Poor weather conditions offshore in the ascent corridor scrubbed a planned Monday launch, and a liquid oxygen leak discovered in the rocket’s first-stage booster pushed back Tuesday’s attempt. SpaceX conducted a successful retest of the booster last Thursday, confirming the leak had been fixed.
Just as that issue was resolved, NASA put another hold on the launch due to a long-standing problem on the International Space Station: a years-old leak on the Russian segment. Engineers needed time to confirm recent repairs had sealed it for good. On Saturday, NASA reported that pressure in the affected area had stabilized—a sign that the small leaks may finally be closed.
While Russia’s space agency Roscosmos continues to monitor the situation, NASA has cleared SpaceX and Axiom Space to proceed towards a launch of Axiom 4, but again, no official announcement of a day or time has been made by NASA, SpaceX or Axiom Space.
Stay tuned.