NASA delays Artemis II lunar mission

NASA has delayed the planned launch of its Artemis II mission after completing a major prelaunch fuel test, with the agency now targeting March as the earliest possible launch window.

According to a recent blog post by NASA, the decision follows the conclusion of a wet dress rehearsal carried out at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida early on February 3. The test involved fully loading cryogenic propellants into the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, completing closeout work on the Orion spacecraft and then safely draining the rocket.

The wet dress rehearsal began with an approximately 49-hour countdown that started on the evening of January 31. Wet dress rehearsals are designed to simulate launch-day procedures and identify technical issues before a mission is cleared for flight.

The four Artemis II astronauts, who entered quarantine in Houston on January 21, will now be released from isolation and will not travel to Florida as previously planned. They are expected to re-enter quarantine roughly two weeks before the next targeted launch opportunity.

NASA said none of the problems posed an immediate safety risk during the rehearsal, but several would have required attention on launch day. With a potential March launch window now under consideration, teams will focus on resolving each issue and preparing for further testing before an official launch date is announced.

Artemis II will be the first crewed mission of NASA’s Artemis programme, carrying astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, on a mission around the Moon.

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