The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a delay of at least one month to its long-awaited Artemis-II mission.
The reason for the delay is the detection of fuel leaks during a crucial pre-launch test of the rocket by engineers.
For Artemis II, four astronauts were about to begin a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. It was scheduled to take off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
However, NASA has now announced that the launch is delayed until March, with no specific date.
The problem was identified during a “wet dress rehearsal,” a full countdown simulation in which the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket was loaded with supercold liquid hydrogen and oxygen.
During the fueling process, engineers detected hydrogen leaks. Additionally, there was a problem with a valve connected to the Orion crew capsule.
During the test, which was stopped several times for safety reasons, more than 2.6 million liters of propellant were loaded.
Officials confirmed that teams will conduct a detailed review of the data and may conduct another test before authorizing the rocket to fly.
