NASA will roll back Artemis II rocket to hangar for repairs Wednesday.

NASA plans to move the Artemis II Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, for unplanned repairs after teams detected a helium flow issue in the rocket's upper stage; the rollback is scheduled for 9 a.m., weather permitting.

NASA will move the Artemis II stack from the launchpad back to the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, with a planned 9 a.m. start time if weather allows. The rollback is to allow teams to access the rocket's upper stage and perform unplanned repairs after NASA reported a helium flow issue. The agency will use its crawler-transporter to carry the 322-foot Space Launch System, the Orion spacecraft, and the mobile launcher the roughly four-mile distance. While the rocket is in the hangar, teams will also replace batteries, including those for the flight termination system, and install access platforms for upper-stage work. Known details: - The rollback is targeted for 9 a.m. Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, pending weather conditions. - The crawler-transporter will move the SLS rocket, Orion spacecraft, and mobile launcher about four miles back to the Vehicle Assembly Building. - NASA reported a helium flow issue in the rocket's upper stage; engineers had been examining several possible causes including a ground-connection point, an upper-stage valve, and a helium-line filter. - The stacked vehicle weighs about 18 million pounds and is being carried on a refurbished crawler that itself weighs about 6.6 million pounds; crews have been replacing worn crawler treads after rolls. - Artemis II is planned as a 10-day crewed lunar flyby with four astronauts aboard and would be NASA's first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since 1972. - NASA will broadcast the rollback live on its YouTube channel and post updates on the Artemis blog. Summary: The rollback pauses launch preparations so teams can inspect and repair the reported helium flow issue and complete battery and access work in the Vehicle Assembly Building. NASA will provide live updates as work proceeds; if repairs move quickly, some April launch opportunities have been identified, but the overall schedule beyond that is undetermined at this time.