NASA anticipating rollout of Artemis II rocket following repairs
By Mike Hanson
Published on March 3, 2026.
NASA is working on repairs to the Artemis II rocket, a massive moon rocket, following an upper-stage helium flow issue during a wet dress rehearsal. The issue was discovered during the Feb. 21 wet rehearsal and is a crucial milestone in launch preparations. Technicians are working to rectify the issue, which caused a seal to dislodge, preventing helium from flowing properly to the upper stage. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is targeting a potential April launch, but may be moved to May. While upper stage repairs have been completed, technicians have also been refreshing several other systems on the rocket and spacecraft. They are activating a new set of flight termination system batteries and replacing flight batteries on the upper and core stages, and charging the launch abort system batteries on Orion spacecraft. NASA officials plan to roll the vehicle back to the launch pad later this month and are targeting a possible launch in April for Artemis II, the first crewed test flight of the Artemis program around the moon.
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