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The news comes a day after NASA confirmed the next earliest launch window for Artemis II following a successful dress rehearsal.
WASHINGTON — The launch window for Artemis II may be delayed again after additional tests found an interruption in helium flow, according to NASA Administrator Jack Isaacman.
The news comes a day after officials announced that Artemis II could launch in March, with the earliest possible launch date of March 6. The new problem puts the March launch windows in jeopardy.
“After overnight data showed an interruption in helium flow in the SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage, teams are troubleshooting and preparing for a likely rollback of Artemis II to the VAB at @NASAKennedy. This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window. @NASAwill continue to provide updates as they become available,” Isaacman said on X Saturday morning.
NASA said it is reviewing the data and, if necessary, preparing to return the 322-foot (98-meter) 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 preparing for both options. Solid helium flow is required for launch.
Artemis II is humanity’s first flight to the moon in more than half a century.
Hydrogen fuel leaks had already delayed the Artemis II lunar fly-around by a month. A second fueling test on Thursday showed hardly any leaks, giving managers the confidence to aim for a March liftoff. The four astronauts started their mandatory two-week quarantine Friday night to prevent exposure to illnesses ahead of a space flight.
The interrupted helium flow is confined to the SLS rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. This upper stage is essential for placing the Orion crew capsule into the proper high-altitude orbit around Earth for checkout, following liftoff. After that, it’s supposed to separate from Orion and serve as a target for the astronauts inside the capsule, allowing them to practice docking techniques for future moon missions.
During NASA’s Apollo program, 24 astronauts flew to the moon from 1968 through 1972. The new Artemis program has completed only one flight so far, a lunar-orbiting mission without a crew in 2022. That first test flight was also plagued by hydrogen fuel leaks before blasting off. The first moon landing with a crew under Artemis is still at least a few years away.
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