NASA Pushes Back Artemis II Lunar Mission to April
The crewed mission, which would have represented humanity's first journey to the vicinity of the moon in over five decades, was sidelined following the discovery of the defect during standard pre-launch testing, prompting mission managers to formally rule out the current launch window.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman indicated the problem may stem from a defective filter, valve, or connection plate within the system. Resolving it, he said, would require rolling the towering 322-foot (98-meter) Space Launch System rocket back to its hangar at Kennedy Space Center in Florida for inspection and repair.
"We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration," Isaacman said in a post on US-based social media platform X, adding that early or late April represents the next viable window for launch.
NASA clarified the newly identified fault is unrelated to the hydrogen fuel leaks that had previously set back earlier launch attempts. Notably, a recent fueling test had given the mission a conditional green light for a March departure before the helium issue surfaced.
Artemis II is designed to carry astronauts on a loop around the moon and return them safely to Earth — a feat not achieved since NASA's Apollo program concluded in 1972. The broader Artemis initiative successfully completed its inaugural uncrewed lunar mission in 2022.
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