Artemis 2 is a precursor to the US area company’s deliberate astronaut moon touchdown with Artemis III scheduled for 2028.
Revealed On 21 Feb 2026
NASA chief Jared Isaacman says Artemis 2 – the primary crewed flyby mission to the moon in additional than 50 years – is not going to launch subsequent month due to technical issues.
Staff detected a problem with helium move to the huge House Launch System (SLS) rocket that may “take the March launch window out of consideration”, Issacman stated in a submit on social media Saturday.
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Strong helium move is important for purging the rocket’s engines and pressurising its gas tanks.
“I perceive persons are disenchanted by this growth. That disappointment is felt most by the group at NASA who’ve been working tirelessly to arrange for this nice endeavor,” Isaacman stated.
NASA’s subsequent alternative for the launch can be initially or finish of April.
The US area company hopes to place people again on the moon as China forges forward with a rival effort that’s concentrating on 2030 on the newest for its first crewed mission.
China’s uncrewed Chang’e 7 mission is anticipated to be launched in 2026 for an exploration of the moon’s south pole, and testing of its crewed spacecraft Mengzhou can be set to go forward this yr.
A number of postponements
NASA shocked many late final yr when it stated Artemis 2 might happen as soon as February – an acceleration defined by the administration of US President Donald Trump’s want to beat China to the punch.
However the programme has been suffering from delays. The uncrewed Artemis 1 mission happened in November 2022 after a number of postponements and two failed launch makes an attempt.
Then, technical issues in early February – which included a liquid hydrogen leak – reduce quick a so-called moist costume rehearsal for the Artemis 2 launch. That was lastly accomplished earlier this week.
The moist costume rehearsal was carried out beneath actual circumstances – with full rocket tanks and technical checks – at Cape Canaveral in Florida, with engineers practising the manoeuvres wanted to hold out an precise launch.
The area company revealed the most recent technical downside simply sooner or later after concentrating on March 6 for the launch of the Artemis 2 mission.
The towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will likely be rolled again into the Car Meeting Constructing on the Kennedy House Middle in Florida to research the technical points and make any vital repairs, Isaacman stated. He stated a nasty filter, valve, or connection plate could possibly be responsible for the stalled helium move.
Isaacman added {that a} full briefing will observe within the coming days.
The objective of the Artemis 2 mission, a 10-day flight across the moon and again, is to “discover the Moon for scientific discovery, financial advantages, and to construct the muse for the primary crewed missions to Mars”, in response to NASA.
The deliberate Artemis 2 crew consists of three US astronauts – Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch – and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen. The mission is poised to be the farthest human flight into area ever, and the primary crewed moon mission for the reason that US Apollo programme greater than half a century in the past.
Artemis 2 is a precursor to NASA’s deliberate astronaut moon touchdown with Artemis 3, which is scheduled for 2028.
