NASA Delays Artemis II Lunar Flyby to March 2026 Following Wet Dress Rehearsal Anomalies

NASA has officially rescheduled the earliest launch opportunity for the Artemis II crewed mission to March 2026. This adjustment follows the conclusion of a critical two-day Wet Dress Rehearsal (WDR) conducted at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The WDR, which began on January 31, 2026, and concluded on February 3, 2026, was terminated prematurely after ground teams encountered persistent technical anomalies during the terminal countdown sequence.

The countdown sequence was automatically halted at the T-5:15 minute mark when the ground launch sequencer detected an unacceptable spike in the liquid hydrogen leak rate, triggering a critical safety threshold. This test was designed to practice the fueling timelines and final closeout procedures for the Orion spacecraft, which will carry Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch, and CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Although ground teams successfully loaded cryogenic propellant into the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket's core stage and the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS), the scrub was necessary due to compounding issues.

Engineers identified several contributing factors, including a recurring liquid hydrogen leak at the tail service mast umbilical interface, which required pausing propellant flow to allow hardware seals to reseat. Additional issues involved intermittent ground audio communication dropouts and the impact of cold weather on external camera systems. This postponement to March 2026 provides NASA with the necessary margin to thoroughly analyze the extensive data gathered and implement required mitigations before the crew proceeds with the first flight beyond low Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The successful activation of the automatic safety protocols underscores the agency's commitment to hardware integrity over schedule adherence. In direct consequence of the revised timeline, the Artemis II crew, who had previously entered their health stabilization program quarantine on January 21, 2026, will be released from isolation. NASA officials confirmed the crew will re-enter quarantine approximately two weeks prior to the new March launch window to finalize their preflight preparations. This mission remains a cornerstone of the Artemis program, which seeks to establish sustainable human lunar exploration as a foundation for future crewed missions to Mars.