UPDATED 5:46 AM ET Jun. 25, 2025 PUBLISHED 5:49 AM ET Jun. 24, 2025 PUBLISHED 5:49 AM EDT Jun. 24, 2025 SHARE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER — Despite a technical issue regarding the launch escape system, SpaceX was able to send up Axiom Space’s Ax-4 mission early Wednesday morning. The four astronauts — three of whom will venture into the deep black for the first time — will head to the International Space Station, which is the fourth private mission by Axiom Space to the famed floating laboratory. What You Need To Know The Ax-4 mission has seen a number of delays so far This is the fourth private mission to the ISS by Axiom Space The Axiom 4 mission was the first mission for the new and last Dragon capsule named Grace More than 60 experiments will be sent with the crew This will be the second Axiom Space mission where former NASA astronaut Peggy Whitson is the commander — 🚀Anthony Leone🌕 (@AnthonyLeone) June 25, 2025 The launch happened at 2:31 a.m. ET, Wednesday. The 45th Weather Squadron gave a 90% chance of good liftoff conditions, with the only concern being the cumulus cloud rule and the flight through precipitation. If the launch is scrubbed, the next attempt would have been Thursday at 2:09 a.m. ET. Starting a new trek For the Ax-4 mission, it will be the maiden voyage for Dragon spacecraft that will carry the four; its temporary name is C213. Cmdr. Peggy Whitson christen the new Dragon capsule Grace. In fact, it is the last Crew Dragon capsule that SpaceX will build, as the company’s business model is to reuse its rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX has five Dragon capsules. The first-stage Falcon 9 booster for this mission is named B1094. Before this launch, it has only had one other: The Starlink 12-10 mission. The Falcon 9 landed at Landing Zone 1, which created a cracking sonic boom heard miles away. The Dragon capsule is expected to dock with the International Space Station on Thursday at 7 a.m. ET for up to 14 days. A technical issue and trying to launch The early Wednesday morning launch had a technical issue that would have seen a possible scrub. Mission control stated that it was trying to solve an issue connected with the launch escape system on the launch pad. “Alright Peggy, we are trouble shooting an issue to uploading the current wind conditions to the vehicle. This must be completed before launch escape system is armed so the vehicle can correctly target offshore splashdown in the event of an escape,” stated a mission control official. “… If we do not successfully upload this to LES (launch escape system) arm, we will be no go for launch.” But there was always an issue trying to get Ax-4 to launch. It was originally set to go up at 8:22 a.m. ET, Tuesday, June 10, but SpaceX posted on X, that high winds were the reason why the launch was pushed back. The second attempt was Wednesday, June 11, but a liquid oxygen leak was discovered on the Falcon 9 following a static fire booster inspection. Before a third launch attempt could take place, NASA and Axiom Space announced that they would be standing down from the Ax-4 launch due to leaks in the Russian section of the International Space Station, which is the Zvezda module. A third attempt was set for Sunday, June 22, but was scrubbed due to concerns of the leaks on the space station and the repair work that was being conducted.   Spectrum News reached out to both NASA and Axiom Space about why the leak in Russia’s Zvezda module would be an issue since it is not near the Harmony module where the SpaceX Dragon capsule being used for the mission will be docked. “The International Space Station is an interconnected system, so NASA and our partners are continuously mindful of all operational activities. Following a recent repair, we are taking some additional time to better understand the current configuration to determine whether any additional troubleshooting is necessary,” explained Joshua Finch of NASA’s Commercial Crew Resources’ Office of Communications to Spectrum News. Starting a new trek For the Ax-4 mission, it will be the maiden voyage for Dragon spacecraft that will carry the four; its name is C213. In fact, it is the last Crew Dragon capsule that SpaceX will build, as the company’s business model is to reuse its rockets and spacecraft. SpaceX has five Dragon capsules. The first-stage Falcon 9 booster for this mission is named B1094. Before this launch, it has only had one other: The Starlink 12-10 mission. The Falcon 9 is expected to land at Landing Zone 1, so a sonic boom is expected to be heard. The Dragon capsule is expected to dock with the International Space Station on Thursday at 7 a.m. ET for up to 14 days. About the Ax-4 mission This will be the fourth time the Texas-based Axiom Space has used SpaceX to send astronauts to the ISS. This will be another all-private human crewed mission from Axiom Space, where the four will stay on the floating laboratory for up to 14 days. Late Tuesday night, Axiom Space's Co-Founder Kam Ghaffarian shared with Spectrum News why this fourth mission was special and how it shows that the international community comes together when it comes to scientific research.