The agency said it plans to roll the SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft back from the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The decision follows the discovery of a problem with the flow of helium to the rocket’s upper stage.
“On Feb. 21, managers decided to remove recently installed platforms before high winds descend on the Space Coast, which poised teams for rollback while discussions about the issue were ongoing. Returning to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy is required to determine the cause of the issue and fix it,” NASA said in a statement.
According to the agency, the rollback will cover approximately 6.4 kilometers and is expected to take several hours. NASA noted that the early decision to return the rocket could help preserve the planned April launch window, depending on “the outcome of data findings, repair efforts, and how the schedule comes to fruition in the coming days and weeks.”
Meanwhile, the Artemis II crew has been released from quarantine and has returned to Houston.
Earlier, Qazinform reported that the Artemis II mission will carry the names of people from around the world on a journey around the Moon.