NASA Pushes First Crewed Artemis Moon Flight to March After Fuel Leaks Disrupt Crucial Test

BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA

NASA said Tuesday it is now aiming for a March launch of its new moon rocket after persistent fuel leaks forced the space agency to cut short a critical preflight test at Kennedy Space Center, raising fresh questions about the readiness of the long-awaited mission.

In a statement, NASA said the delay will give engineers time to analyze data from Monday’s troubled rehearsal and conduct a second full-scale fueling test before committing to a launch date. The rehearsal, known as a wet dress rehearsal, is designed to replicate the final hours of a real countdown, including loading the rocket with super-cold propellants and running through launch procedures up to just before engine ignition.

The leaks emerged only a few hours into the daylong fueling operation and echoed problems that plagued the rocket’s debut three years ago. Those earlier issues led to repeated delays before the vehicle ultimately flew without a crew. This time, the stakes are higher, as four astronauts are slated to ride the rocket on a pioneering mission around the moon.

NASA said the astronauts assigned to the flight will be released from their nearly two-week prelaunch quarantine following the postponement. They are expected to reenter quarantine roughly two weeks before the next launch opportunity. The agency did not provide a specific target date in March, saying teams must first complete a full review of the test results, address each technical issue and return to testing before setting a firm schedule. Prior to Tuesday’s announcement, the earliest possible launch had been no sooner than Sunday.

The fueling operation began around midday Monday, with launch controllers starting to load the 322-foot-tall rocket with liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen chilled to extremely low temperatures. More than 700,000 gallons of propellant were required to fill the massive tanks and remain onboard for several hours, simulating the conditions of an actual countdown.

As the process unfolded, excessive hydrogen was detected accumulating near the base of the rocket. Fueling was halted at least twice as engineers worked to contain the problem, drawing on procedures developed during the rocket’s previous countdown attempts in 2022. That uncrewed test flight was repeatedly delayed by hydrogen leaks before finally launching successfully.

In addition to the propellant issues, NASA said the rehearsal was slowed by delays during close-out operations and recurring audio dropouts that interfered with communications among ground crews, adding to the list of technical concerns that must be resolved.

The four astronauts assigned to the mission — three from the United States and one from Canada — followed the dress rehearsal remotely from Houston, home to NASA’s Johnson Space Center, nearly 1,000 miles from the launch site. Their mission is intended to be the first crewed flight of the Artemis program, marking humanity’s return to lunar-distance travel for the first time in decades.

NASA faces tight scheduling constraints for the launch. The agency has only a handful of viable launch days each month, dictated by orbital mechanics and safety considerations. Extreme cold at the launch site has already shortened February’s launch window, eliminating two potential days and contributing to schedule pressure.

The countdown sequence for the rehearsal began over the weekend after delays caused by the cold snap. Launch clocks started ticking Saturday night, allowing controllers to practice the full sequence and confront any lingering issues. As planned, the clocks were set to stop about 30 seconds before liftoff, just prior to engine ignition.

If successful, the mission will last nearly 10 days, sending the crew past the moon, around its far side and back to Earth. The flight is designed to thoroughly test the spacecraft’s life-support systems, propulsion and heat shield in deep space. The astronauts will not enter lunar orbit or attempt a landing.

NASA last sent astronauts to the moon during the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s. The Artemis program is intended to establish a sustained human presence beyond Earth, beginning with this flight around the moon and eventually leading to landings near the lunar south pole. Commander Reid Wiseman and his crew are expected to play a pivotal role in validating the systems that future astronauts will rely on as NASA moves toward long-term exploration of the moon and, eventually, Mars.