NASA’s plans for the Artemis II mission, the first crewed flight around the Moon in over 50 years, have been delayed due to a technical issue with the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman announced the setback on Saturday, February 21, 2026.
The issue, identified overnight by NASA teams, involves an interruption of helium flow to the rocket. This discovery will necessitate returning the SLS to the Vehicle Assembly Building, effectively ruling out a March launch window.
“Regardless of the potential failure,” Isaacman stated on X, the agency will necessitate to bring the rocket back into the assembly building. This setback underscores the complexities of modern spaceflight and the rigorous testing required for crewed missions.
Quarantine on Hold
The announcement comes after NASA indicated on Friday it was targeting a launch date of March 6, 2026, following a successful fueling test. Agency leadership cautioned, however, that engineers would require several days to analyze the test data and complete further checks.
The four Artemis II astronauts – three from the United States and one from Canada – had begun a second period of quarantine on Friday in anticipation of a potential early March launch. They may now be released from quarantine.
The 10-day Artemis II mission, planned to launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, will carry astronauts on a trajectory that takes them approximately 6,400 miles (10,300 km) beyond the far side of the Moon, surpassing the distance record set by Apollo 13 in 1970.
NASA had identified five potential launch windows in March and six additional opportunities in April.
