Overview
- A wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center revealed liquid hydrogen leaks during fueling of the Space Launch System, prompting the postponement.
- Cold conditions delayed the start of operations and engineers twice paused hydrogen loading after excessive accumulation was detected near the rocket’s base.
- NASA reported additional issues including delays in close-out work, intermittent loss of ground audio, and a crew module hatch valve that required retightening.
- Astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen have been released from quarantine and will re-enter isolation about two weeks before the next attempt.
- March is the earliest target window, with further opportunities in April, and the agency says mitigation and a second rehearsal are required before an official date is named.