A pre-launch test conducted Monday revealed leaks in the rocket’s cryogenic propellant system. NASA decided to push back the launch to fix the issues.
WASHINGTON — NASA will not be launching the Artemis II rocket to the moon this month, its chief administrator said Tuesday, after already pushing back the launch once last week.
In a post on X, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed that the space agency was “moving off the February launch window and targeting March for the earliest possible launch of Artemis II.”
NASA pushed back the fueling and testing of the Artemis II, called a wet dress rehearsal, to Monday after much of the U.S., including the Kennedy Launch Center in Florida, experienced a massive winter storm and icy temperatures at the end of January.
In his post, Isaacman said the pre-launch test revealed leaks in the rocket’s cryogenic propellant system. Although the test was completed and NASA engineers didn’t have to abort early, Isaacman said the decision was made to postpone the launch out of an abundance of caution.
“As always, safety remains our top priority, for our astronauts, our workforce, our systems, and the public,” he wrote. “As noted above, we will only launch when we believe we are as ready to undertake this historic mission.”
NASA said the four astronauts tasked for the flight will be moved out of their nearly two-week quarantine. NASA added they will enter quarantine again “about two weeks” before the next launch window for the trip around the moon.
When will Artemis II launch?
The first crewed mission to the moon in more than 50 years is now expected to take place sometime in March. According to NASA, the next available time for the mission would be March 6 through 9 and March 11.
If those dates also don’t work, there are multiple opportunities to launch in April including April 1, April 3 through 6 or April 30, according to NASA.
What is Artemis II
The Artemis II mission will bring a crew of astronauts to the moon, launching from the Kennedy Space Center on the Florida coast.
The crew of four astronauts will be the first people to fly to the moon since Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt closed out the triumphant lunar-landing program in 1972. They won’t be landing, though.
The mission is expected to last about 10 days, where the crew will do a flyby of the moon, check out Orion’s systems, and learn how to live and work on another world in preparation for human missions to Mars.
Who is flying around the moon?
Three longtime NASA astronauts with spaceflight experience—crew Cmdr. Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and Christina Koch—will be joined on the 10-day mission by Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, a former fighter pilot awaiting his first rocket ride.
After launch, the crew will spend about two days checking out Orion’s systems and performing a targeting demonstration test relatively close to Earth before beginning the trek toward the moon.
The crew will then test the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft around the moon.
According to NASA, “The crew will assess the performance of the life support systems necessary to generate breathable air and remove the carbon dioxide and water vapor produced when the astronauts breathe, talk, or exercise.”
