Artemis moon mission delayed

Artemis II, the first crewed mission to orbit the moon since 1972, has been delayed again. The February 8 launch was scrubbed after hydrogen leaks were discovered during testing.

After an earlier launch was scrubbed due to extreme cold at the Florida launch site, NASA ran a "wet dress rehearsal" with the rocket's fuel tanks loaded with liquid hydrogen and oxygen. During the test, hydrogen leaks complicated tank filling and delayed the countdown. Despite successfully refueling the tanks, leaks worsened and automatically halted the countdown.

Artemis I experienced similar leaks during wet dress rehearsals and launch attempts, with numerous delays over six months before finally launching successfully. Three years later, the problems with Artemis' fuel lines persist. According to NASA, several other issues arose during the test, including crew module hatch pressurization, "cameras and other equipment," and audio communication dropouts.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman acknowledged in a statement that Artemis has the lowest flight rate of any NASA-designed vehicle, while insisting the mission would not proceed "until we are absolutely ready." The earliest possible launch date has now been pushed to March, dependent on a successful wet dress rehearsal.

Previously:
• A deeper look at the Artemis 1 rocket
• NASA won't be sending humans to moon again until at least 2026
• False copyright takedowns demand the removal of NASA's Artemis mission, among other Artemises, from search