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NASA is expected to postpone the Artemis II lunar mission once more following the identification of an issue with helium flow, discovered late Friday night.
The space agency announced on Saturday that the rocket and Orion spacecraft might need to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This decision comes after crews observed a disruption in the helium flow within the rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage.
According to NASA, helium plays a crucial role in maintaining the appropriate environmental conditions for the stage’s engine and is essential for pressurizing the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellant tanks.
While helium functioned correctly during NASA’s “wet dress rehearsals” for Artemis, the teams encountered difficulties with proper helium flow during regular operations following the February 19 rehearsals.
The anticipated delay of the Artemis II mission due to the helium flow issue was reiterated by NASA late Friday night. (NASA)
“Operators are using a backup method to maintain the environmental conditions for the upper stage engines and the rocket, which remains in a safe configuration,” the agency added.
NASA said Friday it had targeted March 6 to launch Artemis. Now the moonshot may not occur until April, officials said.
“A rollback would mean NASA will not launch Artemis II in the March launch window,” the agency said Saturday. “However, the quick preparations enable NASA to potentially preserve the April launch window if a rollback is required, pending the outcome of data findings, repair efforts, and how the schedule comes to fruition in the coming days and weeks.”
NASA said Friday it had targeted March 6 to launch Artemis. (NASA)
Artemis II is expected to take four astronauts — Americans Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Jeremy Hansen — around the moon and back in what would be the farthest human spaceflight ever.
It will also be the first moon mission since the Apollo program ended in 1972.
NASA said Saturday it now hopes for an April launch. (Gregg Newton / AFP via Getty Images)
The mission was most recently delayed last month after fuel leaks were discovered during a test run.Â
Artemis I launched an unmanned rocket and spacecraft successfully around the moon in 2022.