'Not At Any Cost': ISRO Chief Breaks Silence On Delaying Axiom 4 Mission, Here's Why

Axiom-4's launch, carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, was delayed due to a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon-9 rocket.

ISRO, led by V Narayanan, insisted on a full correction, overruling SpaceX's initial solution for the LOX fault in the Falcon 9 rocket.

Source : PTI

The Axiom-4 mission, which was accomplished on Tuesday with the splashdown of four astronauts, including Shubhanshu Shukla from India, experienced its own set of challenges that delayed it several times. 

One of the issues that stalled the mission was a crack in one of the liquid oxygen lines, which was identified after ISRO insisted on due diligence. 

Speaking to NDTV, Indian Space Research Organisation chief V Narayanan said that the Indian space agency would not have allowed the mission to liftoff had SpaceX not rectified the issue in the Falcon-9 rocket. 

"The safety of Gaganyatri and the other three astronauts is a primary concern. We told them to correct the rocket, and only then will we authorise it," said the ISRO chief. 

Narayanan also revealed that there were significant differences in opinions, but the launch was called off at ISRO's insistence. 

"Because of that, it was a successful mission and we (ISRO) had a successful liftoff of the Falcon rocket; otherwise, there would have been a severe problem," he added. 

"Based on the Indian education system, Indian knowledge and the ISRO team, we stopped and insisted on correction and as a team, finally it was corrected, and we ensured the safe liftoff," Narayanan said.

A scheduled launch of the Axiom 4 mission on June 10 was put off after a liquid oxygen leak (LOX) was identified on the booster of the Falcon-9 rocket. 

SpaceX, despite the leak, decided to launch the faulty rocket, which was tasked with carrying four astronauts: Peggy Whitson from the US, Shubhanshu Shukla from India, Polish astronaut Slawomir Mroczkowski, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary.

But when ISRO came to know about the fault, Naryanan said the Indian space agency decided to put its foot down to ensure full correction. 

A team of 13 members from ISRO, stationed at the Kennedy Space Centre, Florida, was not convinced by the "band-aid-like" solution of a 'purge' offered by SpaceX on the oxidiser line leak, as per the report. 

The ISRO chief is a top expert on liquid engines and was part of the team that helped India build a cryogenic engine.