NASA Artemis 2: Return to Hangar Due to Helium Issue

Problem with helium supply NASA: "Artemis 2" Rocket System Returns to Hangar

2026-02-23 Source: dpa 1 min Reading Time

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The crisis-plagued moon mission "Artemis 2" faces further delays. To resolve technical issues, the rocket system is set to roll back from the launch pad to the hangar this week.

The "Artemis 2" rocket system is expected to leave its place on the launch platform this week and roll back to the hangar for repairs. NASA has targeted Tuesday as the earliest date for the "rollback" at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, although this will depend on the weather, the agency reported on Sunday. NASA plans to allocate several hours for the roughly six-kilometre journey.

NASA Chief Jared Isaacman reported on Saturday that there is a problem with the helium supply in one of the rocket stages. To address the issue, the launcher and the Orion spacecraft need to be taken back to the assembly hall. As a result, the planned launch window in March will no longer be feasible, Isaacman wrote on platform X.

Whether the launch could possibly take place in April now depends on how quickly the technical problems can be resolved, it was noted on Sunday. The four-member crew had previously been released from quarantine.

Will the launch happen in april?

Originally, NASA had aimed to launch "Artemis 2" in early February, but this date had to be postponed due to hydrogen leaks during testing. After another trial run, during which all procedures were tested except for the actual launch, NASA Chief Isaacman had only referred to "significant progress" as recently as Friday. At that time, the earliest possible launch date for the mission was still given as March 6. The first manned moon flight in over 50 years continues to be delayed.

High flushing quality for high-purity cleaning: Test cleaning at the BvL Technology Center with the Atlantic cleaning system and a ultrapure water treatment system (EnviroFalk) (Source: BvL Oberflächentechnik GmbH )

With the "Artemis 2" mission, humans are set to fly close to the moon for the first time in over half a century. US astronauts Christina Koch, Victor Glover, and Reid Wiseman, along with their Canadian colleague Jeremy Hansen, are scheduled to orbit the moon during the approximately ten-day mission. The last time US astronauts were on the moon was in 1972.

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