SpaceX, along with Axiom Space, had been preparing to launch the fourth private Dragon mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The mission has since been postponed, however, following leaks that have been discovered on both the launch vehicle and subsequently on the Station’s Zvezda module.
A Falcon 9 rocket was due to launch the mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on Wednesday, June 11. SpaceX indefinitely delayed the mission on Tuesday evening after discovering a liquid oxygen leak in the engine bay of the first stage, B1094, during post-test inspections that followed a brief 7-second static fire on the pad. A leak had previously been detected following the booster’s maiden flight and was believed to have been addressed during refurbishment.
NASA subsequently reported on Thursday, June 12, that the mission will be postponed while it investigates another leak – this time on the ISS in the aft most segment of the Zvezda service module. The agency is working with Roscosmos to evaluate the situation and determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary, it reported.