The return to the Moon has been postponed until March— the SLS rocket for the Artemis II mission delayed its launch.

The full dress rehearsal for the SLS launch for Artemis II was halted five minutes before the final “go” signal. The cause was a series of technical failures found both on the rocket and in ground infrastructure. As a result, the planned February launch has been cancelled; the new date is March.

What happened
1. Problems with the rocket and infrastructure

- Leaks were detected in the flanges of the cryogenic propellant feed ports (hydrogen and oxygen).
- The Orion spacecraft hatch cannot be reliably sealed – the pressure valve is not functioning.

2. Memory of past launches

- In 2022 the first “wet” test of the SLS launched in February, but the rocket reached the Moon only in November – almost nine months later than scheduled.
- Similar leaks and valve issues reappeared on the new launch vehicle.

3. Fueling

- Began on January 31 2026 and lasted nearly three days.
- About 2.5 million liters of hydrogen, oxygen and helium were pumped into the tanks.
- During fueling leaking flanges had to be replaced.

4. Weather impact

- Temperatures in Florida dropped to 5–10 °C – 10–15 °C below normal.
- Poor weather caused a loss of communications and camera shutdowns, complicating crew operations.

What NASA is doing – Assessment: the tests are considered successful; they provided valuable data for future launches.

- Next steps: fixing the faults will take time and better weather.
- New schedule: the Artemis II launch window has been moved to March 2026.
- Crew quarantine: the team has been released, but a new quarantine will begin two weeks before the scheduled start.

Conclusion
The full dress rehearsal was stopped due to technical and weather problems. The mission is set to restart in March after all identified faults are resolved.