Artemis II Delayed Until April Over Helium Tank Issues

The Artemis II lunar slingshot mission has once again been delayed, with NASA announcing that due to a repressurization issue with the rocket's first-stage helium tanks, it would need to be pushed back until April. This follows a previous delay in early February, when the rocket's hydrogen seals leaked during the first wet launch test.

The Space Launch System (SLS) launch vehicle NASA is using for the Artemis II mission is built from a number of legacy systems, and some legacy issues are still causing delays. The hydrogen leak caused by overly cold seals was one of them, but the helium repressurization issue is new and requires more extensive investigation.

During Artemis II's second wet launch test (which was initially hailed as a success), NASA ran into an issue with helium tanks failing to repressurize the main booster's fuel tanks and lines. The helium tanks are ...