NASA cut short the Artemis II wet dress rehearsal shortly before the five-minute mark in the countdown after engineers detected a leak of liquid hydrogen. The issue was traced to a connection at the tail service mast umbilical, where elevated hydrogen levels had already been flagged earlier in the test.
Teams at the launch control centre are now securing the SLS rocket and emptying its fuel tank, NASA said in a blog post.
“The Artemis II wet dress rehearsal countdown was terminated at the T-5:15 minute mark due to a liquid hydrogen leak at the interface of the tail service mast umbilical, which had experienced high concentrations of liquid hydrogen earlier in the countdown, as well. The launch control team is working to ensure the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket is in a safe configuration and begin draining its tanks,” NASA said.
As a countdown enters its terminal stage, automated software assumes command of launch operations and conducts final evaluations of critical hardware. Flight computers, engine bleed mechanisms and ground infrastructure are reviewed as the vehicle transitions to internal power and advances towards a mock engine start, as per NASA.
Artemis II Wet Dress Rehearsal: Test terminated at T-5:15.
The launch control team is working to ensure the SLS rocket is in a safe configuration and begin draining its tanks.
Learn more: https://t.co/50EqqAAklA
— NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (@NASAKennedy) February 3, 2026
This phase was designed to demonstrate full system readiness for Artemis II, which will mark the Artemis campaign’s first mission carrying astronauts.
Artemis II is set to become NASA’s first human mission aimed at the Moon since astronauts last flew there during the Apollo programme more than half a century ago.
Previously, Bloomberg reported that NASA engineers were investigating a propellant line leak that emerged during a critical test of the agency’s lunar rocket on Monday.
The issue surfaced as NASA carried out a fuelling exercise for the Artemis II mission.
Teams at the Kennedy Space Center were carrying out fuelling operations designed to replicate the most critical steps of launch day. The test aimed to demonstrate that the Boeing-developed Space Launch System and the Orion spacecraft, produced by Lockheed Martin, can support Artemis II’s planned 10-day lunar fly-by mission and safe return.
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