WEB DESK: NASA is weighing the possibility of returning the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida after detecting a disruption in helium flow, the agency announced Saturday. Officials cautioned that the issue is likely to affect the planned March launch timeline.
Engineers identified the interrupted helium flow in the Space Launch System’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage during overnight checks. A steady helium supply is essential for launch operations, prompting NASA to evaluate corrective steps that could include moving the rocket back for further inspection and testing.
The space agency had previously set March 6 as the target date for Artemis II, a mission that will send four astronauts on a journey around the Moon and back to Earth.
The crew comprises NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Artemis II is set to become the first crewed lunar mission since the Apollo era and will carry astronauts farther into space than any human mission before it.
The flight will pave the way for Artemis III, NASA’s planned mission to land astronauts on the Moon, currently scheduled for 2028.
