"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA said Tuesday it will now target a March launch of its new moon rocket after running into exasperating fuel leaks during a make-or-break test a day earlier. The space agency said in a statement that the launch delay will "allow teams to review data and conduct a second wet dress rehearsal" before the flight test."
"The leaks - reminiscent of the rocket's delayed debut three years ago - sprang just a couple hours into the daylong fueling operation Monday at Kennedy Space Center and called into question how soon astronauts could take off. A full moon is seen shining over NASA's SLS and Orion spacecraft, atop the mobile launcher in the early hours of Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. "
" NASA said the four astronauts tasked for the flight will be moved out of their nearly two-week quarantine. NASA added they will enter quarantine again "about two weeks" before the next launch window for the trip around the moon. The agency gave no indication of an official launch target in March, saying teams need to first "fully review data from the test, mitigate each issue, and return to testing." Before Tuesday's postponement, the earliest NASA could have launched commander Reid Wiseman and his crew to the moon was no sooner than Sunday."
NASA delayed the SLS test flight to target March after hydrogen fuel leaks emerged during a wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center. Leaks began a few hours into a daylong fueling operation that required more than 700,000 gallons of super-cold hydrogen and oxygen. Excessive hydrogen buildup near the rocket base halted loading at least twice as teams applied techniques from the 2022 countdown. Four astronauts were moved out of near two-week quarantine and will re-enter about two weeks before the next launch window. NASA will fully review data, mitigate issues, and conduct another wet dress rehearsal before resuming testing.
Read at ABC7 Los Angeles
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]