A chartered spaceflight meant to launch the first astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary in decades has been delayed indefinitely due to concerns regarding leaks at the International Space Station (ISS). On Thursday, NASA announced that it intends to monitor cabin pressure on the Russian side of the ISS before permitting any visitors. NASA officials reassured the public that the seven astronauts currently aboard the space station remain safe and that ongoing operations are not impacted by this situation.
Originally, SpaceX was scheduled to launch four private astronauts on a 14-day mission to the ISS this week. However, this mission faced multiple setbacks, including severe weather conditions and issues with the SpaceX rocket. Compounding these challenges, the recent leak issue at the space station has raised significant safety concerns. The Russian Space Agency has been managing cracks and air leaks in its station compartments for over five years, which has been flagged as “a top safety risk” by NASA’s Office of Inspector General.
According to recent updates from NASA, the Russian crew aboard the ISS has been actively inspecting the aging Zvezda service module, which was launched in 2000, along with a connecting tunnel. They have successfully sealed certain areas and measured the current leak rate. NASA reported that following these efforts, the segment is currently maintaining pressure, which is a positive development.
The delay of the private mission affords NASA and the Russian Space Agency additional time to assess the situation and decide if further repairs are necessary. This chartered flight, organized by Axiom Space, marks Axiom’s fourth trip to the ISS with paying customers since 2022. Kam Ghaffarian, Axiom Space’s executive chairman, emphasized in a written statement, “This is the right thing to do. We will continue to work with all of our partners to finalize a new launch date.”
The four astronauts, led by retired NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, who is now an employee of Axiom Space, will remain in quarantine in Florida during this delay. NASA's goal is to keep the ISS operational until 2030 before it is decommissioned and dropped out of orbit. In its place, NASA envisions a new era of privately owned space stations, with Axiom Space among the companies poised to fill this critical gap in space exploration.
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