NASA delays lunar mission to repair rocket, rules out March launch

On Saturday, NASA announced that it plans to return the rocket, the Boeing-built Space Launch System, to its hangar at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to fix a problem discovered in the upper part of the vehicle. NASA engineers discovered an interruption in the flow of helium in the rocket, which is needed for launch.

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman said the work needed to fix the problem can only be done in KSC’s giant Vehicle Assembly Building hangar. He also noted that a similar helium issue had occurred on the first flight of the SLS in 2022.

« I understand that people are disappointed with this development, » Isaacman wrote X in his statement. « This disappointment will be felt most by the NASA team that has worked tirelessly to prepare for this major undertaking. »

The setback comes just a day after the agency announced it had happened the goal is to launch on March 6 For the lunar mission called Artemis II, which will send humans around the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. Isaacman said a launch will not happen in March now, as April is the earliest possible launch opportunity.

On Thursday, NASA conducted an elaborate dress rehearsal with the rocket, where engineers filled the vehicle with propellant and simulated many of the steps that would take place on launch day. The agency had set a March start date after the exercise appeared to be going smoothly.