After fixes, NASA targets April 1 for Artemis II lunar mission
By Richard Tribou
Published on March 12, 2026.
NASA plans to return to the launch pad for the Artemis II mission, which aims to fly crew around the moon. The rocket and Orion spacecraft could be rolled from the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) back to the pad as soon as Thursday, potentially setting up a launch as early as April 1. This is the first crewed flight of Orion and aims to prove its safety for future missions to the moon’s surface. However, a helium flow issue in the upper stage of the rocket forced NASA to roll the rocket back to Vehicle Assembly Buildings (VAB), where it has been parked for three weeks. If NASA cannot launch by April 1, the crew would only fly a 10-day mission that will only go around the lunar surface.
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