NASA’s Artemis 2 crewed Moon flyby is delayed from March due to technical issues, forcing a rocket rollback for repairs as the US-China space race intensifies
WASHINGTON: NASA chief Jared Isaacman has ruled out a March launch for the Artemis 2 mission, the first crewed flyby of the Moon in over 50 years.
The delay is due to technical issues, including a problem with helium flow to the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
“I understand people are disappointed by this development,” Isaacman said in a post on X. He stated the issue would “take the March launch window out of consideration.”
The towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will be rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building at Florida’s Kennedy Space Center for investigation and repairs.
A complete briefing on the situation is expected in the coming days.
The highly anticipated 10-day mission will carry three Americans and one Canadian around the Moon. It represents a major step toward NASA’s goal of returning astronauts to the lunar surface.
That goal was announced by President Donald Trump during his first term.
NASA had previously set March 6 as the earliest possible launch date. The agency is racing to land humans on the Moon again as China advances its own rival program.
China is targeting 2030 at the latest for its first crewed lunar mission. Its uncrewed Chang’e 7 mission to explore the Moon’s south pole is expected to launch in 2026.
Testing of China’s crewed spacecraft Mengzhou is also set for this year.
NASA had accelerated its timeline late last year, suggesting an Artemis 2 launch as soon as February. This push was partly driven by the Trump administration’s desire to beat China.
The Artemis program has been plagued by delays, however. The uncrewed Artemis 1 mission finally launched in November 2022 after multiple postponements.
Technical problems in early February, including a liquid hydrogen leak, also cut short a wet dress rehearsal for Artemis 2. That rehearsal was successfully completed earlier this week.
The wet dress rehearsal simulates real launch conditions with full rocket tanks at Cape Canaveral in Florida. NASA ultimately hopes lunar missions will help prepare for future crewed journeys to Mars.