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NASA Moves Artemis II Launch to March After Hydrogen Leak Halts Countdown Rehearsal

The agency plans a second full countdown to validate fixes before the next launch opportunity in March.

Overview

  • An automated cutoff stopped the wet dress rehearsal at T‑5:15 when sensors registered a spike in a liquid hydrogen leak at a tail service mast interface on the SLS core stage.
  • Teams fully loaded more than 700,000 gallons of cryogenic propellant and completed many planned objectives before ending the test to protect the vehicle.
  • Engineers also logged intermittent ground audio dropouts, cold‑weather impacts to some cameras, and a crew‑module hatch pressurization valve that required retorquing.
  • NASA is targeting March launch opportunities on March 6–9 and March 11 after reviewing data and conducting a second wet dress rehearsal, with additional April dates available if needed.
  • The four‑person Artemis II crew has been released from quarantine and will re‑enter health stabilization roughly two weeks before the next targeted launch attempt.