Nasa chief Jared Isaacman on Saturday ruled out a March launch for Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, citing technical issues.

Workers detected a problem with helium flow to the massive Space Launch System (SLS) rocket that will "take the March launch window out of consideration," Issacman said in a post on X.

"I understand people are disappointed by this development. That disappointment is felt most by the team at Nasa, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavour," Isaacman said.

The towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will be rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Centre in Florida to investigate the technical issues and make any necessary repairs, Isaacman said.

A complete briefing will follow in the coming days, he added.

The Artemis 2 mission, lasting about 10 days, will see three Americans and one Canadian fly around Earth's satellite.

Artemis 2 is also a precursor to Nasa's planned astronaut moon landing with Artemis 3, which ⁠is scheduled for 2028. (AFP)


Edited by Tony Sabine