NASA hit a bump in the road Monday during a critical rehearsal for its next moon mission, when a fuel leak forced engineers to halt a key test of the new Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. The agency had been running a final “wet dress rehearsal” which is a practice countdown that includes filling the 322‑foot rocket with more than 2.6 million litres of super‑cold hydrogen and oxygen at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
As per the reports, the leak was spotted near the base of the rocket just a few hours into the all‑day fueling operation. NASA teams paused hydrogen loading with only about half of the rocket’s main fuel tank filled, as sensors registered unusually high levels of hydrogen gas. The presence of that gas is dangerous because hydrogen is extremely flammable.
NASA’s Artemis II Mission at Stake
This rehearsal isn’t just a practice, it’s absolutely essential to decide whether NASA can still hit its tentative launch window. The mission, called Artemis II, aims to send four astronauts, three Americans and one Canadian, on a fly‑around mission of the moon. It will be the first time humans have left Earth orbit for lunar space since the Apollo era.
Reports say that the crew has been in quarantine in Houston for nearly two weeks so they can monitor the rehearsal from Mission Control without risking illness. The leak added pressure on engineers because the launch must happen by February 11, or else the mission will have to postpone to March due to limited launch windows this month.
NASA’s Past Experience Helps
NASA has seen similar hydrogen issues before. During earlier tests with the SLS, engineers also battled leaks and learned techniques to work around them. That experience helped teams respond quickly Monday when the leak appeared again.
Officials say they will review all the data from this rehearsal before setting a firm launch date. If all goes well after fixes and tests, Artemis II could still lift off as early as this week. The mission will last about 10 days and will test life support systems and flight systems needed for future moon and deep‑space missions, according to reports.
