Artemis-2 Again Delayed as Helium Hitch Halts Launch
The ambitious lunar mission Artemis-2 of the United States space agency NASA has once again been postponed. Due to a technical fault, next month’s launch is no longer possible. The agency has stated that the mission is unlikely to begin before April. The news was reported by Engadget.
NASA said that on the night of February 21, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was in a state of readiness on the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. At that time, a disruption occurred in the flow of helium gas in the upper section of the rocket. As a result, the entire process was automatically shut down.
Although the launch was initially scheduled for March 6, that possibility has now been ruled out due to the malfunction. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said that the mission cannot begin before at least the first week of April. However, the agency indicated that a new launch date may be set for either early or late April.
To investigate and repair the technical fault, the entire 98-meter-tall rocket will be moved from the launch pad to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center. The relocation process is scheduled to begin on February 24.
NASA stated that the helium issue is entirely new. A successful wet dress rehearsal — a full launch simulation — was completed on February 19. The problem arose when engineers attempted to restart the gas flow following standard procedures.
The Artemis-2 mission will send four astronauts around the Moon before returning to Earth. It will mark the first crewed lunar mission since 1972. The astronaut team includes NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen.
The four astronauts had already entered quarantine to avoid infection. However, due to the delay, they have now returned to the Johnson Space Center in Houston.
If the helium issue cannot be resolved in time, even the April launch window could be at risk. However, NASA remains optimistic that the problem can be fixed within the scheduled timeframe. A successful Artemis-2 mission will pave the way for Artemis-3, which aims to land humans on the lunar surface by 2028.
DBTech/BMT/OR
