ISRO's crucial role in averting Axiom-4 space disaster
The Axiom-4 mission to the International Space Station almost didn't get off the ground in June 2025.
First, SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket sprung a liquid oxygen leak. Then, there was an air leak in Russia's Zvezda module on the ISS.
But thanks to some serious teamwork—especially from ISRO and Dr. V Narayanan at Kennedy Space Center—the mission finally launched in June with Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla onboard.
How ISRO fixed Falcon 9 rocket's oxygen leak
ISRO's crew, led by Dr. Narayanan, refused to settle for quick patch-ups after spotting the rocket's oxygen leak on June 10.
They made sure faulty parts were swapped out and thoroughly tested before giving a green light—helping avoid more delays and keeping things safe for everyone involved.
NASA and Roscosmos had to check Zvezda repairs
After SpaceX sorted out the rocket issue, NASA and Roscosmos still needed to be sure that repairs in Zvezda's transfer tunnel had worked.
Careful pressure checks confirmed things were stable, but they took extra time to make absolutely sure new crew members would be safe.
Axiom-4 was a huge deal for India
Axiom-4 was a huge deal for India: Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla became the first Indian ever aboard the ISS.
It shows how far ISRO has come in human spaceflight—and sets up India's next big dream of sending astronauts into space with its own Gaganyaan mission soon.