Helium problem forces NASA to delay Artemis 2 launch to the moon and roll back the rocket

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman says the giant rocket set to send four astronauts around the moon for the history-making Artemis 2 mission must be rolled back from its launch pad to troubleshoot a technical problem.

The 10-day mission, previously scheduled for as soon as March, is now postponed until April at the earliest. “I understand people are disappointed by this development,” Isaacman said in a posting to X. “That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor.”

The technical issue cropped up just days after a successful launch-pad rehearsal at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Data from the Space Launch System rocket’s upper stage registered an interruption in the flow of helium, which is used to pressurize the propellant tanks and purge the engines. “Last evening, the team was unable to get helium flow through the vehicle,” Isaacman wrote today. “This occurred during a routine operation to repressurize the system.”

Isaacman said the helium pressurization system worked correctly during this week’s wet dress rehearsal. For what it’s worth, a problem with a helium valve cropped up during preparations for the uncrewed Artemis 1 round-the-moon mission in 2022, leading NASA managers to take corrective actions.

The current problem could be due to a failure at any of several points in the helium supply system. “Regardless of the potential fault, accessing and remediating any of these issues can only be performed in the VAB,” said Isaacman, referring to the 52-story Vehicle Assembly Building where the SLS and its Orion crew capsule were stacked for launch.

With March out of consideration, the next available launch dates for Artemis 2 are April 1 and April 3-6. The mission aims to send three NASA astronauts and a Canadian astronaut on a figure-8 route around the moon — which would mark the first time humans have traveled beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. A successful Artemis 2 mission would clear the way for Artemis 3’s crewed lunar landing.

Several companies with a presence in the Seattle area are banking on Artemis’ success.

For example, a facility in Redmond operated by L3Harris (previously known as Aerojet Rocketdyne) builds thrusters for the Orion spacecraft and is already working ahead on the Artemis 8 mission. Boeing is the lead contractor for the SLS rocket’s core stage. And Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture, based in Kent, is developing a Blue Moon lander that’s meant to put Artemis crews on the lunar surface starting in 2030. Blue Origin’s New Glenn rocket is expected to send an uncrewed cargo version of its lander to the moon sometime in the next few months.