NASA Moon mission launch delayed to March after test

New York: NASA said Tuesday it is pushing back to March the launch of its first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than half a century after enc...

New York: NASA said Tuesday it is pushing back to March the launch of its first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than half a century after encountering a fuel leak during a key test.

"With the conclusion of the wet dress rehearsal today, we are moving off the February launch window and targeting March for the earliest possible launch of Artemis II," NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said in a statement on X.

During the simulated launch, "teams worked through a liquid hydrogen leak at a core stage interface during tanking, which required pauses to warm hardware and adjust propellant flow," the statement went on.

All tanks were filled and the countdown reached about T-5 minutes before the leak worsened and operations were stopped, according to Isaacman.

The official added: "We will only launch when we believe we are as ready to undertake this historic mission."