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NASA Postpones Historic Moon Mission After Technical Problems

February 3, 2026 - NASA has announced a delay of at least one month for its Artemis II mission after engineers discovered multiple technical issues during a critical pre-launch test on Monday.

The Mission

Artemis II is designed to send four astronauts on a ten-day journey around the Moon and back to Earth. If successful, it would be the first crewed lunar mission in over half a century—since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

The crew consists of three NASA astronauts—Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialist Christina Koch—along with Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Together, they will travel farther into deep space than any humans in history.

What Went Wrong

The problems emerged during Monday’s “wet dress rehearsal,” a crucial test where the rocket is fully fueled as if preparing for an actual launch. About an hour into the procedure, sensors detected a hydrogen leak in the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket.

Hydrogen, which is used as fuel, presents unique challenges because its molecules are extremely small and lightweight. This means hydrogen can escape through even the tiniest gaps in seals and joints.

“As we began that pressurization, we did see that the leak within the cavity came up pretty quick,” explained launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.

Additional Issues

The hydrogen leak wasn’t the only problem discovered during testing. Engineers also identified:

• Orion capsule valve issues: A valve that pressurizes the crew module required additional attention
• Hatch difficulties: Closing the spacecraft door took longer than expected
• Camera malfunctions: Cold weather affected some monitoring cameras
• Communication problems: Audio dropouts occurred across various channels

Lessons from Artemis I

This isn’t the first time hydrogen leaks have caused headaches for the Artemis program. Similar issues plagued the testing of Artemis I in 2022, though that uncrewed mission eventually launched successfully. Blackwell-Thompson noted that lessons learned from Artemis I were applied to the current mission, but clearly more investigation is needed.

The Path Forward

NASA will now work to resolve all identified issues before conducting another wet dress rehearsal. The earliest available launch window is March 6, 2026, with backup dates on March 7, 8, 9, and 11.

The crew has been released from quarantine and will remain in Houston, Texas. They will re-enter quarantine approximately two weeks before the rescheduled launch attempt.

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman emphasized that the agency refuses to compromise on safety: “As always, safety remains our top priority, for our astronauts, our workforce, our systems and the public.”

Despite the setback, Blackwell-Thompson remained optimistic: “All in all, a very successful day for us on many fronts. Then, on many others, we got some work we’ve got to go do.”

Vocabulary Help

• postpone = delay, move to a later date
• crewed = having people on board (opposite: uncrewed)
• rehearsal = practice before the real event
• pressurization = filling something with pressurized gas
• malfunction = when something stops working correctly
• compromise = accept something less than perfect

Grammar Focus

• Present perfect: “NASA has announced”, “have caused headaches”
• Passive voice: “is designed to send”, “were applied”
• Relative clauses: “A valve that pressurizes the crew module”