NASA Postpones Artemis II Lunar Mission to March After Hydrogen Fuel Leaks

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Due to hydrogen fuel leaks that disrupted the massive new rocket's dress rehearsal, NASA's long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is postponed until at least March. Three years ago, the Space Launch System rocket's debut was postponed due to the same issue. Because the initial test flight leaked hydrogen, which is extremely toxic and combustible, it was grounded for months.John Honeycutt of NASA stated on Tuesday, just hours after the test abruptly ended at Kennedy Space Center, "This one actually caught us off guard." Prior to the frustrating fuel leaks, the space agency had set this weekend as the date for the first human visit to the moon in almost 50 years. When it comes to hydrogen, it's a little molecule. Because of its high level of energy, we like it and try our best," Honeycutt said.According to officials, the launch team will be able to do another fuelling test during the month-long delay before committing the four astronauts—three Americans and one Canadian—to a lunar fly-around. When the countdown dress rehearsal might be held again is too soon to tell.

Sam Teague

According to managers, any repairs to damaged or deformed seals or other parts can probably be finished at the pad. An even lengthier delay would probably ensue from a return to the Vehicle Assembly Building.The countdown clocks were stopped at the five-minute mark after the leaks appeared early in Monday's loading operation and again hours later. The escaping hydrogen surpassed safety restrictions, despite the launch controllers' desire to reduce the countdown to a half-minute.In an effort to warm the space between the rocket and fuel lines and, ideally, replace any loose seals, NASA repeatedly stopped the flow of liquid hydrogren, which was minus 423 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 253 degrees Celsius). However, neither that nor changing the hydrogen flow worked, which is why the first SLS rocket was able to launch without a crew in 2022.

Launch postponed to March: NASA says the crewed Artemis II mission — intended to send four astronauts around the Moon — will not launch in February as planned and is now targeting March 2026 at the earliest.
Hydrogen fuel leaks in testing: During a critical “wet dress rehearsal” at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, engineers found liquid hydrogen leaks while fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. This forced them to halt the simulated countdown early.
Faulty fueling test stops countdown: The fueling rehearsal simulates actual launch conditions by loading extremely cold propellants (hydrogen and oxygen). Leaks were detected near the rocket’s fueling connections, and the test couldn’t reach the final countdown milestones.
Safety first for astronauts: NASA emphasizes that safety remains the top priority and that fixing the leak and running another successful test is essential before committing astronauts to the flight.
Crew quarantine plans adjusted: The astronauts — three from NASA and one from the Canadian Space Agency — were in preflight quarantine for the February attempt; NASA will release them and have them re-enter quarantine again before the next launch window in March.

Historic context: Artemis II is expected to be the first crewed lunar mission in over 50 years, with a roughly 10-day flight around the Moon (but not landing) to test spacecraft systems ahead of future landings.

Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew received the all-clear to leave quarantine in Houston, with their launch now postponed until at least March 6. Two weeks prior to the subsequent launch attempt, they will reenter it. On the social media site X, Wiseman expressed his pride in the dress rehearsal's outcome, "especially considering how difficult the situation was for our launch team performing the risky and merciless work.".

Officials said the fuel leaks and other issues were not caused by the extremely chilly launch site. While continuous purging safeguarded the rocket and ground systems, heaters kept the Orion capsule warm atop the 322-foot (98-meter) rocket. NASA assistant administrator Amit Kshatriya emphasized that the Space Launch System is "an experimental vehicle" and that there is much more to learn. "It doesn't help when there are years between fueling tests and flights," he continued. During a press conference, Kshatriya stated, "I'm just reminded again, almost four days and forty years from Challenger, nobody sitting in one of these chairs needs to be calling any of these vehicles operational."

Jamie Larson

Senior Writer · Investigative Journalism

Jamie writes deep-dive reporting on technology, society and culture. Former editor at independent publications, Jamie focuses on clear storytelling and long-form investigations.