Both SpaceX and NASA have postponed this week’s planned launch of Axiom Space’s fourth private crewed mission to the International Space Station (ISS), following leaks discovered on both the vehicle and subsequently on the Space Station’s Zvezda module. The flight was due to debut the fifth and final Crew Dragon capsule, and would further increase the record for cumulative time spent in space by an American astronaut.
SpaceX scheduled three Starlink missions this week, while Rocket Lab has launched the fourth batch of imaging satellites for its Japan-based customer. Launches for the week also included a seismo-electromagnetic satellite mission from China, while the second batch of satellites for Amazon’s Project Kuiper megaconstellation was delayed to Monday June 16 and then scrubbed during its first launch attempt.