NASA Artemis Rocket Launch: NASA is addressing a fuel line leak during a critical test of its Artemis II mission rocket on Monday. The test, which began earlier in the day, is a major rehearsal aimed at preparing the Space Launch System (SLS) and Orion spacecraft for a human flight around the moon, the first since 1972.
NASA Artemis Rocket Launch: Wet Dress Rehearsal Underway
Engineers at Kennedy Space Center are conducting a “wet dress rehearsal” of the Artemis rocket, a procedure in which ice-cold fuel is loaded into the rocket, a launch countdown is simulated, and propellant is safely removed. This rehearsal mirrors the key steps the team will follow on actual launch day.
The aim of the test is to confirm that the Boeing-built SLS rocket and Lockheed Martin’s Orion spacecraft are ready for a 10-day journey that will fly astronauts around the moon and back to Earth.
Fuel Leak Forces Pause For NASA Artemis Rocket Launch
NASA reported that engineers halted the flow of liquid hydrogen after leak concentrations exceeded allowable limits. The agency confirmed that teams are troubleshooting the issue but did not provide a timeline for when fueling will resume.
“The earliest opportunity to launch is February 8,” NASA said, adding that an official launch date will only be set once the rehearsal is successfully completed.
Our “wet dress rehearsal” for Artemis II is underway at @NASAKennedy!
Watch our static feed as teams practice fueling the rocket and conduct a simulated launch countdown as we prepare for the real thing: https://t.co/4iEhNgfQb3
Real-time Artemis updates: https://t.co/40PMWktQjO pic.twitter.com/D9nZskFuP1— NASA (@NASA) February 2, 2026
NASA Engines Not Firing During Artemis Rocket Test
The engineering team will not ignite the Artemis rocket engines during this rehearsal. Jonathan McDowell, a retired astrophysicist from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, explained, “the wet dress is not quite the gold standard, but it’s as good as you can get given the physical design.”
The boosters of the SLS can only be fired once, which is why the test stops short of engine ignition.
What Is NASA’s Artemis II Mission?
Artemis II will be the second flight for the SLS and Orion, following the uncrewed Artemis I mission in 2022. That initial flight required multiple wet dress rehearsals due to technical challenges.
Each Artemis launch is expected to cost over $4 billion, with the program facing budget overruns and delays during its roughly 15 years in development.
Artemis is NASA’s ambitious lunar exploration initiative, intended to return humans to the moon for the first time since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The missions are designed not only to land astronauts on the lunar surface but also to establish a long-term presence through the Lunar Gateway, a space station where crews can live, work, and prepare for future missions to Mars.
NASA Artemis II Mission Crew
NASA’s Artemis II crew, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and the Canadian Space Agency’s Jeremy Hansen—will not participate in Monday’s rehearsal, as astronauts must quarantine ahead of takeoff. The mission will primarily test Orion’s life-support systems, a key step before Artemis III, which aims to achieve a crewed lunar landing by 2028.
Artemis I, launched in November 2022, successfully sent an empty Orion capsule around the moon to validate the SLS rocket and spacecraft systems. Artemis II will follow with astronauts on board, setting the stage for future lunar landings.
Zubair Amin is a Senior Journalist at NewsX with over seven years of experience in reporting and editorial work. He has written for leading national and international publications, including Foreign Policy Magazine, Al Jazeera, The Economic Times, The Indian Express, The Wire, Article 14, Mongabay, News9, among others. His primary focus is on international affairs, with a strong interest in US politics and policy. He also writes on West Asia, Indian polity, and constitutional issues. Zubair tweets at zubaiyr.amin
