NASA announced Wednesday that the issue with its Artemis II rocket is fixed and it will soon be rolled out to the launch pad again. Currently in the Vehicle Assembly Building roughly 6-km from the pad, the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket is undergoing final checks for an April launch.
In an update, NASA said that engineers discovered what caused the reduced helium flow into the upper stage of the rocket – an issue which forced the agency to remove the vehicle from the pad late last month. It also prompted NASA to forego launch opportunities in March.
Following the discovery of a helium flow issue with the Artemis II rocket, engineers have determined the issue and made repairs.
NASA is preparing to roll the vehicle out to the launch pad in the coming weeks ahead of a potential launch in April. https://t.co/BsRijNEucJ pic.twitter.com/PISIhU18qN
— NASA Artemis (@NASAArtemis) March 3, 2026
“Engineers determined a seal in the quick disconnect, through which helium flows from the ground systems to the rocket, was obstructing the pathway,” the update said.
“The team removed the quick disconnect, reassembled the system, and began validating the repairs to the upper stage by running a reduced flow rate of helium through the mechanism to ensure the issue was resolved. Engineers are assessing what allowed the seal to become dislodged to prevent the issue from recurring,” NASA further revealed. ‘
While at the VAB, mission teams are also replacing the flight batteries on the upper stage, core stage, and solid rocket boosters of SLS, and charging the Orion spacecraft‘s launch abort system batteries.
Since the repairs are complete, the rocket will soon be rolled out to the launch pad for another ‘wet dress rehearsal,’ wherein engineers will load it with propellant and simulate a full launch countdown.
NASA’s Artemis II mission
The Artemis II mission is a follow-up of Artemis I which launched in November 2022, kickstarting the Artemis Program. This mission includes four astronauts who will fly around the Moon and return after testing Orion’s life support systems and other components in ten days.
Endeavoring for not just one, but TWO Moon landings in 2028.
Coming weeks: Artemis II around the Moon
Mid-2027: Artemis III rendezvousing with one or both HLS providers, testing space suits in low Earth orbit
Early 2028: Artemis IV lunar landing
Late 2028: Artemis V lunar… pic.twitter.com/FiIp7jmReC— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) March 3, 2026
NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced big changes to the Artemis Program last week, vowing to launch as many as four crewed Moon missions by 2028.
As per the changes, Artemis III will now be a test mission instead of a landing mission. It will allow NASA to validate docking technologies with Orion spacecraft and a Moon lander built by NASA or SpaceX in Earth orbit and test spacesuits astronauts will wear on the Moon.
Artemis III will also lay the foundation of Artemis IV – the first of a series of Moon landing missions. In a recent X post, Isaacman said that Artemis IV will launch in early 2028 followed by another landing mission Artemis V in late 2028. NASA will begin work on a lunar base starting Artemis V, he said.
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