\n<\/p>\n
February 21, 2026<\/p>\n
2 min read<\/p>\n
Add Us On Google<\/span>Add SciAm<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n NASA reveals new problem with Artemis II rocket, further delaying launch<\/p>\n Just a day after NASA set a March 6 target date for its upcoming moon mission, the agency\u2019s head announced it will roll back the rocket from the pad entirely<\/p>\n Just a day after NASA announced it was on track for a March 6 launch of its upcoming moon mission, Artemis II, the agency revealed a new problem with the mission\u2019s rocket that \u201calmost assuredly\u201d scuttles that plan.<\/p>\n In a blog post Saturday, NASA said that engineers had detected an interruption in the flow of helium in the upper stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. NASA administrator Jared Isaacman confirmed the problem in a social media post and that the rocket will be removed from the launch pad and returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repair work.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration,\u201d Isaacman wrote.<\/p>\n If you’re enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.<\/p>\n \u201cHelium flow is required for launch,\u201d NASA said in the post, and engineers are deciding what do next. The mission\u2019s predecessor, Artemis I, also suffered from a helium problem, although it is unclear if Artemis II\u2019s issue is the same, Isaacman said.<\/p>\n Artemis II has already been delayed numerous times, most recently due to its failed initial \u201cwet dress rehearsal.\u201d This key test involves loading the rocket with fuel, preparing the capsule that will house the Artemis II crew for the duration of the mission for launch, and simulating a launch countdown. The first attempt was plagued by hydrogen fuel leaks and other problems. But the second attempt, which took place just days ago, was a success\u2014that\u2019s why NASA had been confident in a March launch date mere hours before this new problem arose.<\/p>\n When it does eventually launch, Artemis II will see four astronauts\u2014NASA\u2019s Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen\u2014fly on a ten-day journey around the moon and back. Together, they will observe the moon\u2019s elusive farside and perform critical tests that will help form the basis for Artemis III\u2014NASA\u2019s planned mission to, by 2028, return humans to the lunar surface for the first time in more than half a century.<\/p>\n If you enjoyed this article, I\u2019d like to ask for your support. Scientific American<\/span> has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in that two-century history.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve been a Scientific American<\/span> subscriber since I was 12 years old, and it helped shape the way I look at the world. SciAm <\/span>always educates and delights me, and inspires a sense of awe for our vast, beautiful universe. I hope it does that for you, too.<\/p>\n If you subscribe to Scientific American<\/span>, you help ensure that our coverage is centered on meaningful research and discovery; that we have the resources to report on the decisions that threaten labs across the U.S.; and that we support both budding and working scientists at a time when the value of science itself too often goes unrecognized.<\/p>\n In return, you get essential news, captivating podcasts, brilliant infographics, can’t-miss newsletters, must-watch videos, challenging games, and the science world’s best writing and reporting. You can even gift someone a subscription.<\/p>\n There has never been a more important time for us to stand up and show why science matters. I hope you\u2019ll support us in that mission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" February 21, 2026 2 min read Add Us On GoogleAdd SciAm NASA reveals new problem with Artemis II rocket, further delaying launch Just a day after NASA set a March 6 target date for its upcoming moon mission, the agency\u2019s head announced it will roll back the rocket from the pad entirely By Claire Cameron<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":44938,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[7387,6129,3164,3331,1651,572,367],"class_list":{"0":"post-44937","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-artemis","9":"tag-delaying","10":"tag-launch","11":"tag-nasa","12":"tag-problem","13":"tag-reveals","14":"tag-rocket"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44937","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44937"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44937\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44938"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44937"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44937"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/naijaglobalnews.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44937"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}On supporting science journalism<\/h2>\n
It\u2019s Time to Stand Up for Science<\/h2>\n