The highly anticipated debut of SpaceX’s fifth and final Dragon spacecraft will take longer than planned. The vehicle, designated C213, will not be ready in time to support the Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) flight to the International Space Station (ISS) until next month, NASA confirmed this week.
The Ax-4 crew started familiarizing themselves with the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft. The Dragon is equipped with advanced technology that enhances safety and efficiency, including automated docking capabilities and state-of-the-art life support systems. Image: SpaceX
Originally scheduled for no earlier than May 29, Ax-4 has now been pushed back to a tentative launch date of June 8. The mission will lift off aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
NASA attributed the delay to a broader reshuffling of the ISS flight schedule. “After reviewing the International Space Station flight schedule, NASA and its partners are shifting launch opportunities for several upcoming missions,” the agency said in a statement. “The schedule adjustments provide more time to finalize mission plans, spacecraft readiness, and logistics.”
The C213 spacecraft has seen multiple delays during its development, impacting a range of missions. In 2022, SpaceX’s Director of Dragon Mission Management, Sarah Walker, announced the capsule was being built to serve future needs and anticipated it would be flight-ready in 2024.
Though the spacecraft was originally slated to fly Crew-10 in February 2025, critical issues—including propulsion system faults, environmental control complications, and a battery replacement requiring partial disassembly of the spacecraft—forced SpaceX and NASA to pivot. The Crew-10 mission was reassigned to Dragon capsule 210, which had previously been allocated to Ax-4.
Axiom Space, which manages the private astronaut mission, is expected to provide more details during a press conference scheduled for Tuesday, May 20. NASA ISS program manager Dana Weigel and SpaceX’s Sarah Walker are among the scheduled speakers.
When it finally launches, Ax-4 will include a two-week stay aboard the space station for its four-member international crew. The mission is commanded by veteran NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson, now flying for Axiom Space on her fifth trip to the ISS. Joining her are pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of India, mission specialist Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and mission specialist Tibor Kapu of Hungary—all of whom will be making their first flights to space.
Looking ahead, NASA plans to launch the Crew-11 long-duration mission no earlier than late July. In addition, SpaceX’s 33rd Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission is targeted for late August. This CRS-33 mission will feature a new reboost system aboard the Dragon cargo capsule, aimed at helping maintain the ISS’s orbital altitude—reducing reliance on Russian propulsion systems.
As the ISS approaches its expected retirement by the end of the decade, missions like Ax-4 are seen as vital stepping stones in transitioning to commercially-operated space stations that will continue human operations in low Earth orbit.
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