Artemis II Rolls Back to VAB After Helium Flow Issue
79 FOMOOn February 21, 2026, engineers detected an anomaly with helium flow to the SLS upper stage. NASA managers initiated rollback to the VAB on February 25 to determine the cause and make repairs. The crew was released from quarantine. Launch target moved to April at the earliest. A second wet dress rehearsal on February 19 had been successful.
Why it matters
Third major delay in the Artemis II countdown timeline (February window missed, then March, now April). Each setback chips at public momentum but not mission safety — the right call.
Coverage
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spaceflightnow.com ·
NASA Rolls Back Artemis II After Helium Flow Issue DetectedA helium flow anomaly in the SLS upper stage on February 21 prompted NASA to roll the Artemis II stack back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. The crew was released from quarantine in Houston. Engineers need to determine the cause and make repairs before re-targeting a launch window, now no earlier than April.
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Veenie.Space Telemetry
On February 21, 2026, engineers detected an anomaly with helium flow to the SLS upper stage. NASA ma