NASA is rolling back its Artemis II moon rocket to the Vehicle Assembly Building after engineers discovered a helium flow interruption in the Space Launch System’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage, canceling a planned March launch attempt from Kennedy Space Center.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the issue on February 21, stating that teams were unable to get helium flowing through the rocket during a routine repressurization procedure. Helium flow is required for launch, as it is used to purge engines and pressurize fuel tanks.
Engineers identified several possible causes, including a faulty filter on the umbilical connection or a failed quick-disconnect interface — a type of fault that was also observed during the Artemis I mission in 2022. Repairs to any of the suspected components can only be performed inside the Vehicle Assembly Building.
NASA had been targeting March 6 as the earliest possible launch date following a successful second wet dress rehearsal, during which the rocket was loaded with more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic fuel. The agency says the next available launch window is now expected to be in April.
The Artemis II mission will carry four astronauts — NASA’s Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — on a crewed flyby of the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft.
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