NASA has delayed the Artemis II mission to the Moon to March following the discovery of a hydrogen leak during a crucial fuelling test. Initially set for February 6 and then rescheduled to February 8 due to adverse weather conditions, the mission aims to send a team of four astronauts on a lunar orbit journey from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After a wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center that began on January 31 and successfully loaded cryogenic propellants into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s tanks, the test was cut short on Tuesday due to a liquid hydrogen leak at the tail service mast umbilical interface.
Despite efforts to address the leak, engineers were unable to resolve the issue, prompting NASA to postpone the launch to March. The Artemis II crew, including NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen, will now exit quarantine but will re-enter it closer to the new launch date.
A second wet dress rehearsal is planned for March before the rescheduled launch. This 10-day mission will pave the way for Artemis III in 2027, where humans are set to land on the lunar South Pole for the first time and establish a sustained presence.
