ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan has revealed that SpaceX "probably took lightly" a liquid oxygen leak detected in the Falcon-9 rocket that carried the Axiom-4 crew to the International Space Station (ISS). Among the astronauts on board was India's Shubhanshu Shukla. Narayanan stressed that the flaw could have turned into a life-threatening emergency if ISRO engineers had not insisted on a detailed inspection and correction.
The anomaly was first noticed on June 10, a day before the scheduled launch of June 11. The Indian team stationed at NASA's Kennedy Space Center pressed SpaceX for answers. According to Narayanan, SpaceX did not share key information, citing confidentiality. He stated that out of 14 questions asked by ISRO, only two were answered satisfactorily, and the location of the leak was not identified. ISRO demanded a complete correction, emphasizing the potential dangers of launching a rocket with a leak.
Narayanan, addressing a press conference in New Delhi alongside Union Science Minister Jitendra Singh, astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, and his backup, Prasanth Balakrishnan Nair, explained that the oxidizer lines supplying liquid oxygen to the engines had developed a crack. He warned that if the rocket had launched with the crack, the vibrations during liftoff would have caused it to break, leading to a catastrophic failure.
ISRO's team, with 40 years of experience in liquid oxygen-powered engines, insisted on a complete correction, which was eventually carried out by SpaceX. A 13-member ISRO team was present at the launch site in the USA. Narayanan emphasized that their insistence saved the lives of four astronauts. The launch was called off on June 10 at 5:15 PM, with the launch originally scheduled for the following morning.
According to Narayanan, SpaceX thought it was a minor leakage and that committees had cleared the launch program. He further stated that when ISRO probed about the leak's location, SpaceX officials said they could not find it. ISRO also asked about the leak rate, but SpaceX responded that it was confidential and could not be revealed.
ISRO's insistence led to the discovery of the crack. The crack was located in the field line, and during the test, the leak continuously increased. Narayanan said that if the rocket had lifted off with the crack, it would have broken due to vibrations, resulting in a catastrophic situation.
The Axiom-4 mission eventually launched on June 25 from Cape Canaveral in Florida and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off the California coast on July 15. India spent Rs 548 crore on the Axiom-4 mission, during which Group Captain Shukla and three other astronauts spent 18 days on the International Space Station, conducting 60 scientific experiments, including seven specific to India.
This incident highlights India's growing role in global space collaboration, with ISRO's intervention directly safeguarding lives on an international mission. The ISRO chief's comments underscore the importance of thorough investigation and correction of anomalies in space missions, even when faced with confidentiality concerns or the pressure to proceed with a launch.
