PITTSBURGH, PA (PTTP)- NASA’s Artemis II flight mission into Lunar orbit with human
passengers will be delayed until March 2026. Artemis II is a part of NASA’s Artemis program,
which hopes to establish humans back on the moon for the first time in over 50 years. Artemis
was set to launch between February 5-11 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida; however,
delays occurred due to liquid hydrogen leaks present in the rocket.
Artemis II was originally planned to set out for orbit in 2019; however, has experienced multiple
delays. NASA, however, had established a timeline to send the rocket into outer space in 2026,
with a clear timeline in February.
Artemis II’s objective was to send out four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina
Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, into orbit. Artemis would leave Earth’s atmosphere, loop around the
moon, and return to Earth without landing. The objective of the mission was to test NASA’s
advancements in supporting human life in space travel as well as communication.
NASA has not sent out a crewed space flight since Apollo 17, which took place in 1972. Artemis
II allows for NASA to take its next step in the Artemis mission, with Artemis III’s objective
being to place astronauts on the Moon’s south pole.
On Wednesday, February 4, while filling the spacecrafts 700,000 gallon fuel tank, NASA
discovered a leak of liquid hydrogen present in the core stage of the Space Launch System. This
system is the biggest rocket ever built by NASA, sitting at 212 feet, with a diameter of 27.6 feet
(NASA). Since Artemis will be carrying humans, any doubt in the spacecraft life supporting
capabilities will continue to delay the project until there is full confidence in the safety of the
rocket.
NASA plans to launch Artemis II in March of 2026. Upon a successful launch and return to
Earth’s orbit, NASA will move into beginning Artemis III.