Why is Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's space launch delayed?

Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla's launch to space has been delayed twice - from May 29 to June 8 and then from June 8 to June 10. According to SpaceX, the need to test, replace and further test a few critical spacecraft components resulted in the first delay. According to NASA, the latest delay "allows teams to account for predicted inclement weather during the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft transport in addition to completing final processing of the spacecraft ahead of launch".

If all goes per plan, Indian astronaut group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla's Axiom-4 mission will liftoff around 5:52 pm Indian time, Tuesday, 10th June, from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre, Florida. However, as seen earlier, the launch date and time are subject to changes in weather and other technical factors. Axiom-4 will carry a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station, where they would stay for two weeks and perform 60 experiments. The astronauts would be flying on the SpaceX Falcon9 rocket and the Crew Dragon capsule.

Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, will command the Axiom-4 mission, while ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla will serve as pilot. The two mission specialists are ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary.

This mission will facilitate the return to human spaceflight for India, Poland, and Hungary, given that each nation’s first and only government-sponsored spaceflight had taken place more than 40 years ago. The Ax-4 crew members will represent their nations in Low Earth Orbit and perform scientific experiments and demonstrations that are of high national importance.

Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla will be the first Indian to fly to the International Space Station, and the second Indian to fly to space after Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma, who flew on a Soviet Mission in 1984. The Indian Government has paid almost $64 million (Rs.550 crore) for Shukla's training and spaceflight as part of Axiom-4.

In a pre-launch media briefing, Indian Astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla had said that he is excited about all aspects of the Axiom-4 spaceflight. He looks forward to observing the Earth from the vantage point offered by the space station, the experience of floating in microgravity. "Even our everyday simple activities- moving around, having food, drinking water- they all become different in orbit," said Shukla.

Shukla will be carrying a special gift as a tribute to India's first astronaut Rakesh Sharma. "I will be carrying something for him... I haven't revealed it to him. I will hand it over to him personally," he added. Both Shukla and Sharma(now retired) are Indian Air Force test pilots. Interestingly, Shukla was born in the year 1984, when Sharma became the first and only Indian to fly to space.

Thanks to Shukla, the crew aboard the International Space Station will get a taste of Indian delicacies. Shukla said that he would be carrying sweets- Carrot Halwa, Moong Dal Halwa, and mango nectar, for all the International crew members to taste.