NASA engineers are preparing to move the Artemis II rocket after encountering an issue with helium flow to the rocket's upper stage.
The helium-flow interruption will probably require a rollback of Artemis II from Launch Pad 39B to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at Kennedy Space Center, according to a post on X by NASA administrator Jared Isaacman.
NASA identified a technical problem in the upper stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) configured for the Artemis II lunar crewed mission on February 21 (U.S. time).
The helium flow issue affected the Artemis II rocket's upper stage.
Engineers are continuing to prepare the Artemis II rocket for the roll off the launch pad following the helium flow issue.
A helium-flow interruption in the upper stage of the Artemis II vehicle was detected during the night of February 20 to February 21.
Artemis II is planned to be the first crewed mission beyond low Earth orbit since the end of the Apollo era.
The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for Artemis II is located on Launch Pad 39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The planned Artemis II launch window originally expected in March is now expected to slip to April or later due to the technical issue.
Artemis II is a Moon mission.
The Artemis II rocket experienced an issue with the flow of helium to its upper stage.
Artemis II will carry four astronauts—three from NASA and one Canadian—on an approximately 10-day mission around the Moon and back to Earth in an Orion capsule.
The March launch window for Artemis II extends from March 6 to March 9 with an additional opportunity on March 11.
NASA will roll the Artemis II Moon rocket off the launch pad as soon as Tuesday, Feb. 24, weather permitting.
If Artemis II cannot meet the March launch dates, the next available launch period includes April 1, April 3 to April 6, and April 30.
NASA is preparing to return the SLS vehicle for Artemis II from the launch pad to the Vehicle Assembly Building for further work.
A rollback from the pad would prevent NASA from launching Artemis II in the March launch window unless repairs and schedules allow otherwise.
NASA will begin preparations for rollback of the Artemis II vehicle to address the helium-flow issue.
An issue is preventing helium from being loaded into the ICPS upper stage for Artemis II.
During a routine operation to repressurize the system, the team was unable to get helium flow through the Artemis II vehicle.