Why NASA’s Artemis II Moon Shot Will Slip to March

Space agency contended with a familiar issue during a wet dress rehearsal.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, February 03, 2026 at 02:30 PM ET

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Jack Daleo

NASA’s integrated Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion capsule stand at Launch Complex 39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida ahead of the Artemis II mission. [Credit: NASA/Brandon Hancock]

Key Takeaways:

NASA's Artemis II crewed moon mission is delayed from an early February target to at least March or April due to "several challenges" encountered during a crucial wet dress rehearsal (WDR).
Issues identified during the WDR included a liquid hydrogen leak, a longer-than-anticipated astronaut closeout process, and recurring ground communication dropouts.
NASA emphasized that these pre-flight tests are designed to surface and mitigate problems to ensure astronaut safety and a higher probability of mission success.
The mission will reuse the heat shield from the uncrewed Artemis I, despite it experiencing charring, with NASA opting to alter the return trajectory rather than replace it to avoid further delays to the Artemis III moon landing, now targeted for 2028.

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Though NASA was optimistic about launching four astronauts on a trip around the moon as early as Friday, the space agency is now looking at March after complications during a key preflight test.

As it prepares for the Artemis II mission, NASA on Saturday evening began a wet dress rehearsal (WDR). The prelaunch exercise is designed to practice fueling the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket—the vehicle that will launch NASA’s Orion crew capsule on a 10-day mission to the moon and back—and identify any issues that might occur during the countdown to liftoff.