NASA’s long-awaited moonshot with astronauts is off until at least March because of hydrogen fuel leaks that marred the dress rehearsal of its giant new rocket.
It’s the same problem that delayed the Space Launch System rocket’s debut three years ago. That first test flight was grounded for months because of leaking hydrogen.
NASA announced the news Tuesday, shortly after the critical fueling test ended at Kennedy Space Center. Until the exasperating hydrogen leaks, the space agency had been targeting as soon as this weekend for humanity’s first trip to the moon in more than half a century.
“As always, safety remains our top priority,” NASA’s new administrator Jared Isaacman said via X. “We will only launch when we believe we are as ready to undertake this historic mission.”
Officials said the monthlong delay will allow the launch team to conduct another fueling test before committing the four astronauts — three U.S. and one Canadian — to a lunar fly-around.
