Artemis II delayed to April after helium pressurization issue
TL;DR
NASA has pushed Artemis II to April at the earliest after the 322‑foot SLS rocket was rolled back from Launch Pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building to address a helium‑pressurization problem identified during prelaunch tests. The four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canada’s Jeremy Hansen—are in quarantine as technicians inspect the vehicle, replace batteries, and complete additional dress rehearsals ahead of a roughly 10‑day lunar flyby, a mission seen as a crucial stepping stone to a future crewed lunar landing by 2028 with an estimated per‑launch cost around $4.1 billion.
- What’s happening with NASA’s plans to return to the moon The Washington Post
- Teams Begin Artemis II Repairs in Vehicle Assembly Building NASA (.gov)
- A new problem throws four astronauts’ impending moon journey into uncertainty CNN
- Artemis rocket heads back to its hangar for repairs as moonshot put on hold NBC News
- SpaceX knocks out launch as NASA delays Artemis rollback Orlando Sentinel
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