NASA will return its moon rocket to the hangar for more repairs before astronauts strap in

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NASA's elephantine satellite rocket is headed backmost to the hangar for much repairs

ByMARCIA DUNN AP aerospace writer

February 22, 2026, 2:12 PM

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- Grounded until astatine slightest April, NASA’s elephantine satellite rocket is headed backmost to the hangar this week for much repairs earlier astronauts ascent aboard.

The abstraction bureau said Sunday it’s targeting Tuesday for the slow, four-mile (6.4-kilometer) trek crossed Kennedy Space Center, upwind permitting.

NASA had hardly finished a repetition fueling trial Thursday, to guarantee unsafe hydrogen substance leaks were plugged, erstwhile different occupation cropped up.

This time, the rocket’s helium strategy malfunctioned, further delaying astronauts’ archetypal travel to the satellite successful much than fractional a century.

Engineers had conscionable tamed the hydrogen leaks and settled connected a March 6 motorboat day — already a period precocious — erstwhile the helium contented arose. The helium travel to the rocket's precocious signifier was disrupted; helium is needed to purge the engines and pressurize the substance tanks.

“Returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building astatine Kennedy is required to find the origin of the contented and hole it," NASA said successful a statement.

NASA said the speedy rollback preps sphere an April motorboat attempt, but stressed that volition beryllium connected however the repairs go. The abstraction bureau has lone a fistful of days immoderate fixed period to motorboat the unit of 4 astir the satellite and back.

The 3 Americans and 1 Canadian assigned to the Artemis II ngo stay connected standby successful Houston. They volition go the archetypal radical to alert to the satellite since NASA's Apollo programme that sent 24 astronauts determination from 1968 done 1972.

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