NASA targets March for Artemis moon mission after fueling test succeeds

NASA announced Friday that it aims to send four astronauts to the moon in March, after successfully completing a critical fueling test that had been disrupted by hydrogen leaks weeks earlier. The decision clears the way for launch of the Artemis II mission as soon as March 6 from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Officials expressed confidence in the readiness of the Space Launch System rocket and its crew — three Americans and one Canadian — to attempt the first crewed moon voyage since Apollo 17 in 1972.

The mission represents a major milestone in NASA’s effort to return humans to the lunar environment more than five decades after the Apollo program ended. It will be the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System rocket, the agency’s most powerful launch vehicle.

Test Success Clears Path for Launch

Lori Glaze, NASA’s exploration systems development chief, said the successful test on Thursday night was “really getting real” and that it was time to “get serious and start getting excited.”

NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman noted that launch teams made “major progress” between the first fueling test, which was disrupted by dangerous amounts of hydrogen leaking earlier this month, and the second test. The countdown reached the targeted 29-second mark.

Technicians replaced two Teflon seals after the initial test. The removed seals had light scratches, and moisture was found in the surrounding area — either could have contributed to the initial leakage.

Launch Director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson said the second test produced barely any seepage. The differences between the two attempts “were significant,” he said in NASA’s statement, and the fix was “a big step toward America’s return to the lunar environment.”

Crew Enters Quarantine

The four crew members — Commander Reid Wiseman and three colleagues — began a mandatory two-week health quarantine Friday night in Houston. Wiseman monitored Thursday’s test alongside two of his crew members and launch controllers.

The astronauts will be the first to fly to the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.

Timeline and Mission Details

NASA has only five days in March to launch the crew aboard the Space Launch System rocket before standing down until the end of April. If all goes as planned, astronauts will return to Kennedy around the beginning of March for the final countdown.

The Flight Readiness Review is scheduled for late next week.

The nearly 10-day mission is considered a test flight. Artemis II will be the first crewed flight of the Space Launch System. The rocket stands 322 feet tall. The only previous SLS flight, in 2022, carried no one.

Looking Ahead

Artemis III will attempt to land a pair of astronauts near the moon’s south pole in coming years. The next mission still has significant details to work out — including whether SpaceX or Blue Origin will provide the lunar lander. Glaze said NASA will not select the first moon-landing crew for several months, perhaps even a year.