The launch of the Ax-4 mission, in which Sławomir Uznański-Wiśniewski is to become the first Polish astronaut aboard the global Space Station (ISS), was relegated. As Axiom Space announced on Tuesday, the new, earliest possible start date isSunday, June 22, 2025.
Leaking in the Convene module forces NASA to be careful
The reason for the change of agenda is to proceed to measure the operation of the Russian section of the ISS station after fresh method problems. NASA needs extra time to analyse the effects of repair work in the service module Conventswhere previously detected air leak and force drop. It was this responsibility that caused the first shift of the Ax-4 mission last week.
Although the force situation in the module has stabilised after repair, the American space agency does not want to hazard bringing another crew aboard until life-support systems have undergone full verification.
History of the series of delays: May 29 to June 22
That's it. another postponement of the start date of the Ax-4 missionwhich was originally planned for May 29. Since then, the flight has been postponed respective times – first due to Technical problem with Falcon 9 and Dragon capsuleand then due to adverse weather conditions.
The latest date – June 22 – may besides change if NASA engineers consider that the situation on the ISS inactive requires further reflection or if there are fresh complications.
Sławomi Uznański-Wiśniewski: the first Pole on board ISS
Sławomir Uznański-Wiśniewski, Polish engineer and scientist, will be a associate in the mission as a specialist in technological experiments. If everything goes as planned, he'll stay. First Pole on the global Space Station. So far, the only Polish citizen to fly into space was Mirosław Hermaszewski in 1978 – inactive as part of the russian programme.
Uznański-Wiśniewski is not only a typical of Poland in the mission, but besides 1 of 4 members of the global crew of Ax-4. The squad shall besides include:
- Peggy Whitson (USA), erstwhile NASA astronaut, presently mission commander
- Shubhanshu Shukla (India), pilot
- Tibor Kapu (Hungary), investigation Specialist
What is the Ax-4 mission?
The Ax-4 mission is now Axis Space's 4th commercial flight to global Space Station, implemented in cooperation with NASA and SpaceX. Start is planned from the centre Kennedy Space Center, Floridaand the latest version of the capsule is liable for transport Crew Dragonproduced by Elona Muska.
It's the first flight into space of this peculiar capsule that was allowed into the mission after a series of rigorous tests. The carrier rocket is Falcon 9That was the reason for 1 of the delays.
The crew is to spend on ISS up to 14 days, performing about 60 technological Experimentsof which 13 designed by Polish scientists. The investigation includes, among others, the impact of microgravisation on the tense system, analysis of the resilience of the human body and investigating of fresh engineering materials.
Polish discipline in orbit
For the technological community in Poland, the mission of Ax-4 is not only a symbolic event, but besides a applicable event – it enables testing of Polish technologies and hypotheses in space conditionswhat has so far been beyond the scope of many investigation institutions.
The participation of Uznański-Wiśniewski and 13 Polish experiments can open the way to Permanent presence of Polish discipline in global projects, and contribute to the promotion of space investigation in the country.
Perspectives and threats
Although a fresh start date – 22 June – remains current, Axiom Space and NASA clearly communicate that do not exclude further transfersif this is due to crew safety and integrity of ISS systems.
The coming days will be crucial – NASA engineers will proceed monitoring the situation in the Zwieda module, and the Axiom Space squad prepares the crew for a possible start next Sunday.
If the Ax-4 mission takes place as planned, Poland will re-enter the past of manned flights as a country actively participating in space exploration. However, the eventual success of the mission will depend on a number of method and operational factors which are inactive beyond the control of the crew itself.
Continued here:
The flight of Poles Sławomir Uznański-Wiśniewski on ISS again delayed. NASA moves mission launch
