NASA Pushes Artemis II Launch to Early March After Hydrogen Leak in Dress Rehearsal

Overview

• Controllers halted the wet dress rehearsal when sensors detected a liquid hydrogen leak near the base of the Space Launch System, ending February launch plans.
• NASA now targets March 6–9 as the earliest liftoff window, with additional backup dates later in the spring.
• Program leaders said the test performed as intended by revealing issues, with officials calling hydrogen-related scrubs a routine part of fueling operations.
• Artemis II is a 10-day lunar flyby to validate rocket, navigation, and crew systems without a landing, paving the way for later surface missions.
• The crew—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—will launch on SLS with the Orion spacecraft from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center.