Nasa astronauts' moon mission likely to be delayed due to rocket issue

The mission to the far side of the Moon and back will likely be postponed after problems with were spotted with its rocket, a Nasa official said.

NASA has postponed the Artemis II mission due to a new issue with the rocket's helium system, pushing the earliest possible launch to April 2026.

NASA’s new moon rocket has suffered another setback, putting next month’s planned launch with astronauts in jeopardy. Officials revealed the latest problem just one day after targeting March 6 for humanity’s first flight to the moon in more than half a century. Overnight, the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage was interrupted, they noted. Solid helium flow is required for launch. NASA said it is reviewing all the data and preparing, if necessary, to return the Space Launch System rocket to the hangar for repairs at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center. It’s possible the work could be done at the launch pad; the space agency said engineers are protecting for both options. “This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window,” NASA said in a statement. Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar fly-around by a month. A second fueling test on Thursday revealed hardly any leaks, giving managers the confidence to aim for a March 6 liftoff.

NASA had just announced a flawless wet dress rehearsal and possible early March liftoff of its long-awaited Artemis II mission, but all that changed in less than 24 hours. A closer look at the giant SLS moon rocket revealed a new issue —one that will likely further delay the launch and may even require NASA to roll the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. An early Saturday Feb. 21 NASA blog reported that overnight data showed an interruption in the flow of helium into the SLS's interim cryogenic propulsion stage, and teams are looking at potentially rolling the rocket back to the NASA Vehicle Assembly Building. "This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman posted on X. The announcement came just a day after the four astronauts, who are set to fly around the moon, entered quarantine in Houston in preparation for an early March liftoff.

Nasa is preparing to roll the Artemis-II rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building after a helium flow issue. This technical glitch will likely cancel the planned March launch window for the lunar mission.

NASA has delayed its Artemis II mission to the moon until at least April after engineers identified a new issue with the rocket’s helium system.

The Artemis II mission has been delayed to April 2026 following a new problem with the Space Launch System rocket, affecting the planned March launch window.

NASA has delayed the Artemis II mission due to a new issue with the rocket's helium system, with the earliest possible launch now in April 2026.

NASA has discovered a fault with its rocket, potentially delaying the Artemis II mission, which was previously scheduled for March 6, 2026.

NASA has announced March 6, 2026, as the earliest target date for launching the Artemis II mission, which will send astronauts around the moon for the first time in over 50 years. The decision follows a successful "wet dress rehearsal" on February 19, where the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was fueled and completed two full countdown procedures. This marks a major turnaround from the initial attempt earlier in the month, which was halted due to hydrogen leaks. New seals have since resolved the leak issues. The Artemis II crew, consisting of NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, is preparing for a 10-day mission. Notably, this mission includes the first woman and the first Black man in a lunar crew. The Artemis II flight will test NASA's deep space systems in preparation for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the moon by 2028 as part of NASA's broader Moon to Mars exploration initiative. The upcoming launch depends on pending data reviews and a final flight readiness review.

NASA has once again delayed plans to launch its Artemis II mission—the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972—after a problem was found with its Space Launch System rocket. The mission is now postponed to April after a helium flow issue was identified in the rocket's upper stage.

NASA has delayed the first crewed lunar mission since 1972, pushing Artemis 2 from early March to at least April due to a helium supply issue in the rocket, with repairs requiring the spacecraft to return to the hangar.

NASA has delayed the Artemis II mission, aiming to return humans to the moon for the first time in over 50 years, due to a new issue with the rocket's helium system. The earliest possible launch is now pushed to April.

Nasa is preparing to roll the Artemis-II rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building after a helium flow issue. This technical glitch will likely cancel the planned March launch window for the lunar mission.

NASA has delayed its Artemis II mission to the moon until at least April after engineers identified a new issue with the rocket’s helium system, the agency said Saturday.

NASA's moon rocket, part of the Artemis II mission, will be returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center this week for further repairs, delaying the mission’s timeline again.

NASA has initiated another practice launch countdown at Cape Canaveral for Artemis II, its first crewed moon mission in decades, after addressing fuel leaks that delayed the mission to March.

NASA has delayed its Artemis II mission to the moon until at least April after engineers identified a new issue with the rocket’s helium system, the agency said Saturday.

NASA's Artemis II mission, the first crewed lunar journey in over 50 years, has encountered another technical setback that is expected to delay its launch to April 2026. The issue involves a disruption in helium flow to the rocket’s upper stage, which is critical for engine purging and fuel tank pressurization. This problem is unrelated to earlier hydrogen fuel leaks that already delayed the mission by a month. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman indicated that the root cause could be a faulty filter, valve, or connection plate, and repairs require rolling the 322-foot Space Launch System (SLS) rocket back into its hangar at Kennedy Space Center. The helium flow disruption affects the SLS's interim cryogenic propulsion stage, vital for placing the Orion crew capsule in the correct orbit. Despite prior confidence from successful fueling tests, this technical issue has now removed the possibility of a March launch. Artemis II follows the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022; the program ultimately aims to return humans to the moon several years from now.

NASA may not launch its Artemis 2 moon mission just a few weeks from now after all. On Saturday morning (Feb. 21), the agency announced that it had detected a problem with Artemis 2's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, which is sitting on Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window," Isaacman said. That window is relatively short. It runs from March 6 through March 9, with another opportunity on March 11. If Artemis 2 can't hit any of those dates, NASA will have to wait at least three additional weeks: The next window features target launch dates of April 1, April 3-6 and April 30. Saturday's news was something of a surprise. It came just a day after NASA announced that it was targeting March 6 for the launch of Artemis 2, the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since the end of the Apollo era.

NASA announced that the Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed lunar mission since 1972, is targeting a launch on March 6, 2026. The announcement follows the successful completion of the mission’s second wet dress rehearsal (WDR) at Kennedy Space Center, which simulated major pre-launch operations and confirmed the integrity of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's fueling components. This came after an earlier WDR was halted due to a liquid hydrogen leak, a recurring issue during Artemis 1 preparations. During the recent test, 730,000 gallons of cryogenic propellants were successfully loaded with no significant leaks, and countdown procedures were smoothly executed. Artemis 2 will carry four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Jeremy Hansen—on a 10-day journey around the moon. Prior to liftoff, the team will enter quarantine and return to Kennedy five days before launch. Final steps include installing trusses for a flight termination system test and a flight readiness review. The primary launch window extends from March 6–10, with the next opportunity in April. NASA officials expressed growing excitement with the mission’s momentum, reflecting the increasing reality of returning humans to deep space.

NASA conducted a second rocket fueling test at Kennedy Space Center in preparation for the Artemis II moon mission, aiming to send astronauts to the moon for the first time since 1972. The test involved loading over 700,000 gallons of supercooled fuel into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and running a simulated countdown. The key objective was to confirm the integrity of newly installed seals after a previous test was disrupted by dangerous hydrogen leaks. Thursday's test showed minimal leakage, staying within safety limits, boosting confidence for a potential March 6 launch. Artemis II will involve a 10-day flyby mission around the moon with a four-member U.S.-Canadian crew, though the team won’t land on the lunar surface. Testing success prompted NASA to prepare the crew for quarantine in anticipation of the upcoming flight. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized astronaut safety and announced plans to redesign fuel connections to prevent future leaks. He also criticized Boeing and NASA leadership over safety issues with the Starliner program, which recently left astronauts stranded on the ISS. The results of this test are crucial in determining whether the Artemis II mission can proceed as scheduled.

After the Artemis 1 uncrewed lunar test flight in late 2022, NASA discovered unexpected damage to Orion’s heat shield. To prevent recurrence on Artemis 2, NASA has modified the reentry trajectory and made adjustments to the heat shield material.

NASA is troubleshooting a glitch with the upper stage of Artemis 2's Space Launch System rocket that will likely delay the launch of the moon mission.