The upcoming Artemis 2 lunar mission from NASA has been postponed yet again after the rocket's upper-stage helium flow issue was discovered, which happened just three weeks before the scheduled launch.
The space agency has announced its intention to move the 322-foot Space Launch System rocket back to its base after it completed its launch at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, from Launch Pad 39B.
The Artemis 2 Moon mission will be rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs. The crewed lunar mission will not take place in March, with April being the earliest possible opportunity for the mission to occur.
The problem lies in the interruption of helium flow in the rocket’s Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage. The system requires helium for pressurising the tanks which contain liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
NASA stated that the problem was not detected during the recent wet dress rehearsal, which had successfully fuelled the rocket's two stages.
Reportedly, NASA had been targeting March 6, 2026, for liftoff, with further scheduling the launch through 9 March and on 11 March. In case of any issue that can delay the launch for April.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman hinted over the weekend that a rollback might be necessary after engineers identified a blockage affecting helium flow. By Sunday, the decision was confirmed.
Artemis 2 will send three NASA astronauts and one Canadian astronaut on a roughly 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth aboard the Orion spacecraft. It will mark the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since the Apollo era.