NASA’s SLS rocket faces helium flow issue, Artemis II March launch ‘almost assuredly’ scuttled

Just a day after announcing that it was on track for the March 6 launch of its upcoming moon mission, Artemis II, NASA revealed on Saturday that a new problem has been detected in the mission’s rocket and that it has “almost assuredly” scuttled the launch plan. In a blog post, NASA said its engineers detected an interruption in the flow of helium in the upper stage of the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. As per the blog update, overnight data showed an interruption in the flow of helium into the SLS’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. The announcement came just a day after the four astronauts, who are set to fly around the moon, entered quarantine in Houston in preparation for the liftoff.

“NASA is taking steps to potentially roll back the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida after overnight Feb. 21 observing interrupted flow of helium in the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage. Helium flow is required for launch,” the blog post read.

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‘March launch window out of consideration’

NASA administrator Jared Isaacman also confirmed the problem in a social media post and said that the rocket will be removed from the launchpad and returned to the Vehicle Assembly Building for repair work.

“We will begin preparations for rollback, and this will take the March launch window out of consideration,” Isaacman wrote in a post on X.

“Helium flow is required for launch,” NASA said in the post, and engineers are deciding what do next.

The mission’s predecessor, Artemis I, also suffered from a helium problem, although it is unclear if Artemis II’s issue is the same, Isaacman said.

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Artemis II launch delayed several times, first wet dress rehearsal failed recently

Artemis II has already been delayed several times, most recently due to its failed initial “wet dress rehearsal,” a key test that 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 marred by hydrogen fuel leaks and other problems, but the second attempt was a success, following which NASA was confident about the March launch date till the new problem arose.

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“Teams are actively reviewing data, and taking steps to enable rollback positions for NASA to address the issue as soon as possible while engineers determine the best path forward,” the NASA blog read.

The last time an SLS rocket flew was during the Nov. 2022 uncrewed Artemis I mission.

Artemis II will see four astronauts—NASA’s Christina Koch, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen—fly on a ten-day journey around the moon and back.