This countdown to liftoff has been extended.
NASA announced it has delayed the launch of Artemis II, a mission that will send four astronauts on a 10-day trip around the moon and back to Earth, after engineers noticed a liquid hydrogen leak in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.
According to the space organization, the mission managers spotted the issue during a “two-day” wet dress rehearsal—which the agency said is “a prelaunch test designed to identify any issues” with the SLS—at the Kennedy Space Center.
The test’s countdown originally started on Jan. 31, but due to the defect, NASA was forced to end the operation in the early hours of Feb. 3.
“Attempts to resolve the issue involved stopping the flow of liquid hydrogen into the core stage, allowing the interface to warm up for the seals to reseat, and adjusting the flow of the propellant,” NASA wrote in their statement that same day. “To allow teams to review data and conduct a second wet dress rehearsal, NASA now will target March as the earliest possible launch opportunity for the flight test.”