“With the conclusion of the wet dress rehearsal today, we are moving off the February launch window and targeting March for the earliest possible launch of Artemis II,” he posted on X.
With the conclusion of the wet dress rehearsal today, we are moving off the February launch window and targeting March for the earliest possible launch of Artemis II.
With more than three years between SLS launches, we fully anticipated encountering challenges. That is precisely…
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 3, 2026
Why Has NASA Postponed Artemis Launch?
The test, conducted at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, successfully filled the core stage and interim cryogenic propulsion stage tanks with liquid hydrogen and oxygen. However, teams paused operations multiple times to address a liquid hydrogen leak at a core stage interface, requiring hardware warming and propellant flow adjustments.
The countdown reached about T-5 minutes before halting due to a rising leak rate, compounded by extended Orion spacecraft closeout work, intermittent ground audio issues, cold weather affecting cameras, and successful trials of new purge procedures for crew safety.
“During the test, teams worked through a liquid hydrogen leak at a core stage interface during tanking, which required pauses to warm hardware and adjust propellant flow. All core stage and interim cryogenic propulsion stage tanks were successfully filled, and teams conducted a terminal countdown to about T-5 minutes before the ground launch sequencer halted operations due to an increased leak rate,” he said.
Isaacman emphasised that such challenges were anticipated given the three-year gap between SLS launches. “These tests are designed to surface issues before flight and set up launch day with the highest probability of success,” he wrote.
“As always, safety remains our top priority, for our astronauts, our workforce, our systems, and the public. As noted above, we will only launch when we believe we are as ready to undertake this historic mission,” he added.
The Artemis II mission, featuring the first crewed Orion flight around the Moon since Apollo, will now undergo data reviews, repairs, and a repeat WDR before targeting the March window.
This aligns with US President Donald Trump’s space policy for sustainable lunar missions, paving the way for repeated trips, a permanent Moon presence, and future goals up to “Artemis 100 and beyond,” he said.
