NASA announced that the Artemis-2 mission will ultimately not be launched in March due to technical issues detected on the rocket. The information was confirmed by the head of the American space agency, Jared Isaacman.
The teams identified during the night a helium flow malfunction at one of the launcher’s stages. Regardless of the precise origin of this anomaly, the rocket will have to be brought back to the assembly building for additional checks, making it impossible to meet the initially planned launch window for March.
Additional analyses essential
The day before, NASA mentioned a takeoff no earlier than March 6, after a full-scale test deemed satisfactory on the surface. However, engineers had warned that several days of analyses remained necessary, as well as other technical maneuvers before a final green light.
This postponement concerns a highly symbolic mission: Artemis-2 is to send four astronauts – three Americans and one Canadian – around the Moon for a flight of about ten days, marking the first crewed lunar flight in over fifty years. Placed in quarantine in preparation for a departure in early March, the crew members could now leave quarantine, awaiting a new launch schedule.
