Single or multi-axis positioning mechanisms are provided that include a caging mechanism that may be actuated without requiring axial displacement of rotational components of the positioning mechanisms. In some multi-axis positioning mechanism implementations, each rotational axis may have an associated caging mechanism that is transitioned between a caged and uncaged state using a common release device. In some implementations, the release device may be a single-use device. In other implementations, the release device may be capable of re-caging the positioning mechanism after uncaging the positioning mechanism.