New Delhi: NASA plans to roll back the brand new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket along with the Orion Spacecraft for the Artemis II mission from the launch pad back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Centre on 25 February, 2026. The roughly six km trek will be covered by the Crawler-Transporter 2 over a period of 12 hours. NASA was initially planning the move today, but delayed the roll back because of cold temperatures and high winds that interfered with pad preparations, including the removal of access platforms. The rollback means that NASA will not be able to launch the Artemis II crewed lunar flyby mission in the March window.
The leaks surfaced after the conclusion of the second wet dress rehearsal on 19 February. While the propellant loading and countdown simulation proceeded nominally, the engineers could not achieve the desired helium flow to the interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) during normal operations and reconfigurations. The helium here is used to maintain the environmental conditions of the engine and pressurise both the liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks. A backup method currently keeps the stage safe. The engineering teams are investigating potential causes, and are examining the ground-to-rocket helium interface, an upper-stage valve, and an inline filter. Data from similar troubleshooting for helium pressurisation conducted during the Artemis I mission is also being reviewed.
Artemis II can now launch no sooner than April
Once the rocket is rolled back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, the crews will install platform for access to the affected areas. NASA engineers will then determine the cause of the problem and fix it. The decision to roll back preserves the April 2026 launch window, subject to repair timelines and analysis. The rocket has remained on the launch pad since it was rolled out in mid-January. Artemis II is the first deep-space crewed mission by NASA since the Apollo missions over 50 years ago, and will see Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Grover, Mission Specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen go on a 10 day lunar flyby. This will be the first integrated test of the SLS and Orion in Cislunar space.