Nasa has ruled out a March 2026 launch for its crewed Artemis II moon mission after detecting a critical helium flow issue in the rocket’s upper stage, pushing liftoff toward April at the earliest
Nasa has confirmed that its highly anticipated crewed moon mission Artemis II will not launch in March 2026 as previously hoped, after engineers discovered a technical problem that affects the rocket’s performance.
The issue was spotted in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket’s upper stage, where an interruption in helium flow was detected during routine tests. Nasa Administrator Jared Isaacman said this problem will “take the March launch window out of consideration,” effectively ruling out the planned early-March liftoff for the first human voyage beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years.
Helium flow is essential to purge engine lines and pressurise the rocket’s fuel tanks, a step that cannot be skipped or improvised. Without it, the spacecraft can’t safely lift off.
What went wrong
The anomaly emerged after a series of preparations intended to fine-tune the massive rocket before launch. Nasa had hoped to capitalise on earlier progress, including a successful wet dress rehearsal—a full countdown practice with fuel tanks loaded—completed earlier this week.
However, sudden data overnight showed that helium, which helps regulate pressure and temperature in key fuel systems, was not flowing correctly through the interim cryogenic propulsion stage. Engineers have begun troubleshooting and may need to roll the rocket and its Orion spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for deeper investigation and repairs.
Isaacman acknowledged the disappointment felt across the space community. “I understand people are disappointed by this development,” he wrote on social media, noting that it’s “felt most by the team at Nasa who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavour.”
What happens next
With the March window effectively closed, Nasa officials say their next opportunity would be at the beginning or end of April, though that timing remains tentative and will depend on how quickly the technical issue can be resolved.
The Artemis II mission will carry a four-astronaut crew—three Americans and one Canadian—on a 10-day flight around the Moon and back. While it won’t land on the lunar surface, it will be the first time humans have travelled beyond low Earth orbit since the end of the Apollo era.
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