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NASA Prepares Artemis II Rollback After Helium Fault, Pushing Launch Beyond March

The fix requires returning the SLS to the Vehicle Assembly Building to refocus launch planning on early April.

Overview

  • Overnight checks showed an interruption in helium flow to the SLS upper stage, a pressurization and purge function critical for flight.
  • NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the rocket will roll back to the Vehicle Assembly Building, removing the March launch window from consideration.
  • Pending troubleshooting and repairs, the next available opportunities open in early April, with dates identified as April 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6.
  • The setback follows a clean second wet dress rehearsal that resolved a prior hydrogen leak and ran the countdown to T‑29 seconds.
  • Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen had entered preflight quarantine for a March 6 target and will now await a new schedule.