NASA's Artemis II moon launch off until March at earliest due to issues during testing of rocket

February 3, 2026

TL;DR

The dress rehearsal for NASA's Artemis II moon rocket was terminated early due to a significant hydrogen leak.
The delay pushes the earliest possible launch date for the Artemis II mission to March.
The hydrogen leak occurred at an umbilical plate connecting the fuel line to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
This issue is a recurrence of a problem encountered during the Artemis I mission in 2022.
The four astronauts intended for the mission, including commander Reid Wiseman, will remain in Houston instead of traveling to Florida for final preparations.
The SLS rocket is described as the most powerful operational launcher in the world.

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