NASA’s Artemis 2 Moon rocket returns to hangar for repairs, delaying crewed lunar flyby mission until at least April due to technical issues
CAPE CANAVERAL: NASA began rolling its towering Moon rocket back to its hangar for repairs on Wednesday.
The move follows the detection of technical issues that have pushed back launch windows.
The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket was moved off the launchpad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. Teams identified problems with the flow of helium within the rocket’s systems.
This decision causes further delays for the highly anticipated Artemis 2 mission. The 10-day flight will carry three Americans and one Canadian on a journey around the Moon.
The mission represents a major step toward returning Americans to the lunar surface. This goal was announced by President Donald Trump during his first term.
Due to the required technical investigations and repairs, the crewed flyby is now postponed until at least April. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed the delay over the weekend.
The rocket and its Orion spacecraft began a journey back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. This trip, covering several miles from the launchpad, was expected to take around 12 hours.