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NASA Moves Artemis II Moon Rocket Off Launch Pad for Repairs
The slow-motion trek at Florida's Kennedy Space Center is expected to take all day.
Feb. 25, 2026 at 3:18pm
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NASA has moved its grounded Artemis moon rocket from the launch pad back to its hangar at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for more repairs. The 322-foot Space Launch System rocket had been at the pad for a month, but encountered a series of problems serious enough to require the return to the Vehicle Assembly Building about 4 miles away.
Why it matters
The Artemis II lunar fly-around mission by a U.S.-Canadian crew has now been delayed until at least April, after previously being pushed back a month due to hydrogen fuel leaks. This setback is a blow to NASA's ambitious plans to return astronauts to the moon for the first time in decades.
The details
Managers ordered the rollback over the weekend after the rocket's helium pressurization system malfunctioned. The slow-motion trek at Florida's Kennedy Space Center is expected to take all day.
- NASA moved the Artemis II moon rocket off the launch pad on Wednesday.
- The Artemis II lunar fly-around mission by a U.S.-Canadian crew is now delayed until at least April.
The players
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and space research.
Artemis II
The second mission in NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface.
What’s next
NASA will work to address the issues with the rocket's helium pressurization system in the Vehicle Assembly Building before attempting to return it to the launch pad.
The takeaway
This latest setback for the Artemis II mission highlights the technical challenges NASA continues to face as it works to achieve its ambitious goal of returning astronauts to the moon for the first time since the Apollo program ended in the 1970s.
