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The Artemis II astronauts, Canadian Space Agency mission specialist Jeremy Hansen, pilot Victor Glover, commander Reid Wiseman and mission specialist Christina Koch attend the State of the Union. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
With their launch date now delayed, the four astronauts, who will be the first crewed NASA lunar mission in over 50 years, attended Tuesday’s State of the Union address as guests of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
Artemis II NASA astronauts (L-R) Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch, and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen stand in the white room on the crew access arm of the mobile launcher at Launch Pad 39B as part of an integrated
What we know:
NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen, who will be Canada’s first astronaut to fly on a lunar mission, will fly around the moon aboard the Orion spacecraft, the first crewed lunar mission in more than 50 years. Orion will not land on the lunar surface.
Artemis II SLS core stage manufactured in New Orleans 
The Artemis II Core Stage rolls out of the Vertical Assembly Building on July 16, 2024, to the waiting Pegasus barge at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans in preparation for delivery to Kennedy Space Center. (NASA/Eric Bordelon & Mic
Dig deeper:
The Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) core stage was manufactured at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, referred to as “America’s Rocket Factory.” The core stage was transported in July 2024, to the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida aboard the agency’s Pegasus barge, traveling 900 miles to KSC.
Helium and hydrogen fuel leak issues delay launch of Artemis II
Earlier this month during a wet dress rehearsal prelaunch test to fuel the rocket and test the systems, NASA discovered fuel leaks during testing. NASA then announced they were targeting a March launch date, but over the weekend data revealed an interruption in helium flow within the Space Launch System’s interim cryogenic propulsion stage.
What’s next:
The latest issue is now forcing the rollback of Artemis II off the launch pad and back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to remediate the issues, further delaying the launch.
NASA is marking America’s 250th year with a bold new symbol of the nation’s relentless drive to explore. The America 250 emblem is now on the twin solid rocket boosters of the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket for Artemis II. (NASA/Ben Smegelsky)
Artemis II mission
NASA’s highly anticipated Artemis II mission will send the four astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraft on an approximately 10-day journey around the Moon. Next year, the Artemis III lunar landing mission will take astronauts to the surface of the moon’s South Pole region to rendezvous with the Starship Human Landing System. The Artemis missions set the stage for NASA to land the first American on the Martian surface.
The Source: Information in this article was sourced from NASA and includes previous FOX Local reporting. This story was reported from Orlando.