National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that its crewed mission to the moon, Artemis II, is facing a month-long delay. The American space agency said in a post on Sunday, Feb. 22, that it will roll back its rocket for the Artemis II mission off the launch pad as soon as Feb. 24 after encountering an issue with helium in the rocket's upper stages.
Artemis II is the first crewed flyby mission to the moon in over 50 years. The initial launch date for set for March.
“As soon as Tuesday, Feb. 24, we will roll our Moon rocket for our Artemis II mission off the launch pad, weather pending. Engineers are continuing to prepare for the move after encountering an issue with the flow of helium to the rocket's upper stage,” the post read.
NASA Delays Artemis Mission
In a detailed blog post, NASA said that the astronauts for Artemis II had been released from quarantine and were in Houston. The Orion spacecraft and the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for the mission will be rolled back off the launch pad at Florida's Kennedy Space Centre.
On Feb. 21, managers decided to remove the recently installed platforms before the space coast faced high winds. The SLS rocket would be returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Centre to determine the cause of the issue and fix it.
Proper helium flow is essential to the functioning of the SLS upper stage rocket as it pressurises the liquid oxygen propellant and LH2 tanks, Space.com reported. This is vital to maintain "the proper environmental conditions" for engine operation, the post added.
The exact time to start the approximately four-mile, multi-hour trek is being reviewed by teams. The quick work on starting preparations to transport the rocket and spacecraft back to the VAB potentially preserves the launch window in April, pending data findings, repair work and how the schedule is managed in the coming weeks.
The delay is not a surprise. On Feb. 21, NASA chief Jared Isaacman had written on the social media platform X that a delay might be necessary to repair the spacecraft. “After overnight data showed an interruption in helium flow in the SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage, teams are troubleshooting and preparing for a likely rollback of Artemis II to the VAB at @NASAKennedy. This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window. @NASA will continue to provide updates as they become available,” he wrote.
The news of the delay came just a day after NASA announced a March 6 launch window for the spacecraft. The window was relatively short, running from March 6 to March 9, with another chance on March 11. The next window features target launch dates of April 1, April 3-6 and April 30, as per Space.com.
Artemis II is the first crewed mission to the Moon beyond low Earth orbit since the end of the Apollo era. The mission will send three NASA astronauts and one Canadian in an Orion capsule on an approximately 10-day trip around the moon and back to Earth.
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