NASA's Axiom-4 crew mission delayed amid Trump-Musk tension

NASA on Tuesday announced a delay to its latest crewed mission, the Axiom Mission 4 launch to the International Space Station (ISS), citing a liquid oxygen leak discovered during post-inspection of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. A new launch date will be confirmed after repairs are completed and range availability is assessed, according to its website.

The mission, originally scheduled for Wednesday, is operated jointly by NASA, Axiom Space and SpaceX. It features an international crew led by former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson with Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla as pilot, and Poland's Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski and Hungary's Tibor Kapu as mission specialists. The four will launch aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The delay follows rising tensions between SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump, who recently suggested terminating federal contracts with Musk-linked companies. Musk responded on June 5 by announcing plans to begin decommissioning Crew Dragon, which is currently NASA's only certified vehicle for ferrying astronauts to and from the ISS.

"In light of the President's statement… @SpaceX will begin decommissioning its Dragon spacecraft immediately," Musk wrote on X.

NASA responded by affirming its commitment to the administration's space agenda. "We will continue to work with our industry partners to ensure the President's objectives in space are met," spokeswoman Bethany Stevens posted.

The Crew Dragon program, launched in 2020, ended nearly a decade of U.S. reliance on Russian Soyuz rockets after the Space Shuttle's retirement in 2011. Its success has been especially vital as Boeing's rival Starliner program has suffered repeated setbacks, including a failed crewed test flight last year.

Tuesday's Axiom-4 launch was set to showcase Crew Dragon's continued role in both NASA and private missions. The delay now underscores how political and commercial uncertainty could impact the future of U.S. human spaceflight.