NASA has announced another delay in the launch of Artemis II, while also announcing an acceleration in launch schedule for future Artemis missions. 

Artemis II, the upcoming lunar exploration mission, has been delayed three times, initially aiming for a February launch, then an early March launch. 

Now, NASA says the mission will aim to launch in early April following repairs to the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. 

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NASA’s Artemis II SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion spacecraft back at the VAB for repairs following a helium flow leak. 

(NASA)

NASA first delayed the mission because of extreme cold in Florida. 

The second delay came following a hydrogen leak during the wet dress rehearsal of the rocket. 

The third and most recent delay followed a leak in the flow of helium on Friday night on the launch pad following a successful wet dress rehearsal.

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The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft, integrated for the Artemis II mission, are seen at Launch Pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on January 30, 2026 ahead of the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years. 

((Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images) / Getty Images)

Unable to access the area needed for repairs on the pad, NASA began the rollback of the SLS to the Vehicle Assemble Building. 

Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator for NASA’s Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate, said the SLS made it back to the VAB on Wednesday night. 

“I know to people outside of NASA sometimes we make it look easy,” Glaze said. “What we’re doing is anything but easy. We’ve seen that with the challenges we’ve encountered.” 

Increasing rate of NASA launches 

Jared Isaacman, NASA administrator, said the space agency is working to increase the frequency of launches, particularly with the Artemis lunar exploration missions over the next few years. 

“When you are launching every three years, your skills atrophy, you lose muscle memory,” Isaacman said. 

He said the more frequent NASA launches, the better muscle memory and the better the rhythm when launching. 

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NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) rocket with the Orion spacecraft launches from pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center for the Artemis 1 mission on November 16, 2022 in Cape Canaveral, Florida. This is the third attempt to launch the Artemis I rocket to the moon after a series of technical and weather delays.

(Paul Hennessy / Anadolu Agency / Getty Images)

Isaacman said to achieve that goal, they’re working to increase NASA’s workforce and streamline the process, to hopefully, do a launch once a year. 

“This is not about slowing down momentum,” said Amit Kshatriya, associate administrator for NASA. “This is about increasing it, about making sure that we are focused on the right things in terms of how we execute the program.” 

NASA is aiming to accelerate manufacturing, pull in the hardware and standardize the process for future launches, Isaacman said. 

Artemis III and IV updates

With that, Isaacman said Artemis III, which was supposed to be the first Artemis mission to land humans on the moon, will now attempt a low-Earth orbit with one or both of NASA’s lunar landers. 

Artemis III will also aim to test out integrated operations between Orion and the landers systems, and, hopefully get spacesuits with or without humans in them, onto the mission, Isaacman said. 

Isaacman said NASA is aiming to launch Artemis III by mid-2027. 

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NASA officials give update on the Artemis Program on Feb. 27, 2026. 

(NASA/Youtube / NASA)

Artemis IV will now become the first Artemis attempt to land humans on the moon, with a goal of launching in 2028. 

“We are also, as a component of the strategy, endeavoring to preserve up to two landing attempts in 2028,” Isaacman said. 

In addition to launching Artemis IV in 2028, NASA would like to launch Artemis V also in 2028. 

“We’re not necessarily committing to launching two missions in 2028. We want to have the opportunity to be able to do that,” Isaacman said.

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The Artemis II astronaut crew in front of the Orion spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Aug. 8, 2023. From left to right: CSA astronaut Jeremy Hansen and NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Hammock Koch. (Image: NASA)

(NASA)

Isaacman said NASA wants to get back to how things used to be when it came to space exploration. 

“We’d like to announce a mission, tell you the objectives here, the crew, and then fly it inside of a year, and then you start getting to know the next crew,” he said. “It’s kind of how it worked in the 1960s. We’re going to try and get back to that now.”