NASA's Artemis II faces delay due to helium flow glitch
NASA just found a helium flow glitch in the Artemis II rocket—basically, helium that's needed to pressurize fuel tanks and clear out the engines isn't moving as it should.
The issue popped up during regular checks, even though the helium system worked properly during wet dress rehearsals (WDR1 and WDR2), although an earlier wet dress rehearsal attempt was cut short after a sensor detected a liquid hydrogen leak.
NASA rolls the rocket back to fix the glitch
Because of this hiccup, NASA is rolling the rocket back from its launch pad to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repairs—a bit of deja vu from a similar fix they made with Artemis I.
They're aiming to have this done by February 24, but weather could slow things down.
New tentative launch window in early April
The original March 6 launch date is off; now they're hoping for early April if repairs go smoothly.
This comes after already dealing with hydrogen leaks earlier this month.
Artemis II will mark a historic journey around the Moon
Artemis II will send four astronauts around the Moon—the first time humans have gone that far since 1972.
Every delay means waiting a little longer for some seriously historic space exploration.