NASA has officially announced that they are delaying their Artemis II mission again. The mission was expected to launch in early March. However, a technical problem inside the Space Launch System rocket forced engineers to pause final preparations and push back the launch of the first crewed journey around the Moon in more than 50 years. Officials pointed out that the engineers detected interrupted helium flow to the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage and that it must be fully understood and fixed before astronauts can fly. They also added that safety reviews led to the decision to roll the rocket back for further checks. The delay now shifts attention to new launch opportunities in April 2026, as NASA works to keep its long-term Moon plans on track. Here’s everything we know about the NASA Artemis 2 rocket launch.
Artemis II is the first crewed mission under NASA’s Artemis campaign, designed to send four astronauts on a flight around the Moon to test the Orion spacecraft’s life-support systems before future lunar landings.
The issue was found in the Space Launch System as the engineers reported the interrupted helium flow to the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. Helium plays a key role in clearing rocket engines and keeping fuel tanks at the right pressure.
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When the flow did not perform as expected, testing was stopped. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the March launch window is no longer possible, and preparations have begun to move the rocket for inspection.
The rocket will be rolled back from the launch pad to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Inside this large facility, teams can safely check hardware, replace parts if needed, and run more tests.
This isn’t the first time NASA will roll back a rocket. A similar rollback was done during Artemis I, as the agency faced several delays before a successful launch in November 2022.
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NASA is now studying possible launch dates in April 2026, and the first available opportunity begins on April 1, with additional windows in the first week of the month. Do note that the final timing will depend on repairs, weather, and flight readiness checks. Officials have clearly stated that they will only confirm a new date after engineers are confident that all systems are working properly.
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Artemis II will send four astronauts around the Moon and back on a 10-day mission. The crew includes Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. It will be the first time humans travel beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.
The mission is also intended to check how well the life support systems and the spacecraft work in deep space. The space agency stated that the learnings can help with Artemis III, which plans to land astronauts near the Moon’s south pole with a possible launch later this decade.