New Delhi: The much-delayed Axiom-4 commercial space mission to the International Space Station (ISS), carrying Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three international crew members, is now targeting a launch date of 19 June, according to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The mission, operated by Axiom Space in partnership with SpaceX, was originally scheduled to lift off on 11 June from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. However, a liquid oxygen leak in the Falcon 9 rocket forced a delay. A separate issue — a pressure anomaly in the Russian Zvezda service module on the ISS — then caused further postponement.

"During a follow-on coordination meeting between ISRO, Axiom Space, and SpaceX, it was confirmed that the liquid oxygen leak observed in the Falcon 9 launch vehicle has been successfully resolved," ISRO said in a statement on Saturday.

"Axiom Space is now targeting June 19, 2025, for the launch of the Ax-04 mission," the space agency confirmed.

The mission was originally slated for lift-off on 29 May, and rescheduled to 8, 10, and 11 June before being postponed again due to technical issues. SpaceX is providing both the rocket and the space capsule for the launch.

Commanded by veteran NASA astronaut and Axiom’s Director of Human Spaceflight Peggy Whitson, the mission will mark a significant milestone for India’s return to human spaceflight. ISRO astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as the pilot on board. Mission specialists include Slawosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, representing the European Space Agency (ESA), and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

The 14-day mission aboard the International Space Station is expected to strengthen global cooperation in commercial human spaceflight, and marks a symbolic return to crewed missions for India, Poland, and Hungary.

ISRO and its partners continue to monitor the situation aboard the ISS closely, especially the Zvezda module, before giving the final go-ahead for launch.

(With PTI inputs)