Nasa’s Artemis II confidence test hits ground equipment snag; findings under review

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration said on Saturday that it had conducted a confidence test for its Artemis II Moon mission vehicle on February 12 and is now analysing the results before setting a timeline for the next stage.Sharing the update in a post on X, Nasa wrote, "Update on our Moon mission: Following a Feb. 12 confidence test, teams are reviewing data and will examine findings before setting a timeline for the next test, a second @NASAArtemis wet dress rehearsal this month. March remains the earliest potential launch window."

In a statement, the space agency shared details of the trial, saying, "As part of robustly testing the vehicle prior to flight, Nasa engineers are reviewing data after a confidence test Feb.

12, in which operators partially filled the SLS (Space Launch System) core stage liquid hydrogen tank to assess newly replaced seals in an area used to fill the rocket with propellant."The statement said that during the test, teams encountered a problem with ground support equipment that slowed the flow of liquid hydrogen into the rocket. Despite this, they were able to build confidence in several major test goals and collected data from the core stage interfaces at the same point in testing where a leak had been detected during the previous wet dress rehearsal.

Engineers plan to purge the line over the weekend to maintain proper environmental conditions, inspect the ground equipment, and replace a filter believed to be responsible for the reduced flow."Engineers will purge the line over the weekend to ensure proper environmental conditions and inspect the ground support equipment before replacing a filter suspected to be the cause of the reduced flow."The statement added that engineers will review the results before deciding when to schedule the next test—a second wet dress rehearsal expected later this month.

March is still considered the earliest possible launch window for Artemis II, which will carry astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen on the mission for a duration of 10 days.Artemis II is the first crewed mission of the Artemis programme and is intended to mark a major step towards returning humans to the Moon. The Artemis II test flight will be Nasa’s first mission with astronauts aboard the SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and the Orion spacecraft.Four astronauts will fly around the Moon and return to Earth, testing life-support systems and deep-space operations. Unlike Artemis I, which was uncrewed, the mission will carry astronauts and is expected to pave the way for Artemis III, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface and support future long-term exploration.