Ax-4 mission launch with Polish astronaut postponed: key experiments at risk
A new leak in the “Zvezda” module on the ISS forced NASA and Axiom to delay the Ax-4 launch, jeopardizing the debut of Polish astronaut Uznański-Wiśniewski.
Photo: Axiom Space on NASA website
NASA and Axiom Space have postponed the commercial Ax-4 mission to the ISS, originally scheduled for June 19 from launch complex LC-39A, after a new pressure drop was detected in the “Zvezda” module on the ISS.
Engineers from NASA and Roscosmos are investigating the source of the leak. Until the inspection is complete, Polish astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, commander Peggy Whitson, Indian pilot Shubhangshu Shukla, and Hungarian Tibor Kapu will remain on Earth.
Biotech experiments at risk of disruption
The Guardian reports that the delay puts six out of seven ISRO biotech experiments at risk, as they rely on timely delivery of cultured samples.
India’s space agency ISRO has prepared seven biotechnology experiments focused on studying cell growth, microbes, and fermentation in microgravity.
Six of them are time-sensitive, as they use living cultures with limited “shelf life.” A delayed launch may result in partial or complete loss of experimental data.
Axiom Space promises to announce a new date “in the coming days,” but some studies may have to be transferred to a future mission. Meanwhile, the Polish side risks missing the launch window for the immunological project Immune Multiomics.
Immune Multiomics
Immune Multiomics is a study of how microgravity affects the human immune system.
During Ax-4, astronauts were expected to provide biological samples before, during, and after the mission for analysis of gene expression, proteins, and metabolites.
The project is supported by ESA and funded by the Polish government as part of its national space strategy.