The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced a delay in its long-awaited Artemis-II mission by at least a month.
The reason for the delay is the discovery of fuel leaks during a crucial pre-launch test of the rocket by engineers.
For Artemis II, four astronauts were about to start a 10-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. It was scheduled to lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
However, NASA has now announced that the launch has been delayed to 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 filled with super-cold liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
During the refueling process, engineers discovered hydrogen leaks. Additionally, there was a problem with a valve attached to the Orion crew capsule.
More than 2.6 million liters of propellant were loaded during the test, which was halted several times to address safety concerns.
Officials confirmed that the teams will conduct a detailed review of the data and possibly conduct a retrial before clearing the rocket for flight.
