The Artemis 1 moon rocket will be rolled off the launch pad and back to a processing facility to fix some issues that were revealed during a recent dress rehearsal.
A series of key trials designed to show that the ground infrastructure is ready to go began on April 1 at Pad 39B.
The loading of liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen propellants into the SLS and the execution of several mock launches were supposed to be finished about 48 hours later. Several problems that delayed those steps, however, and they stood down to accommodate the private mission, which launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on April 8 from the Pad 39A.
NASA's Artemis 1 moon mission explained in photos
The team decided to fuel up the SLS core stage instead of the upper stage after discovering a faulty valve on the mobile launch lower.
The core stage was to be fueled on April 14 but they stopped after noticing that liquid hydrogen was leaking from one of the lines.
Artemis 1 team members took some time to analyze their data and their options after the third wet dress campaign. They initially left the door open to resume the wet dress next week, with another tanking try possibly as early as Thursday.
That is no longer on the table. The team decided to take the Artemis 1 stack off Pad 39B and return to the Vehicle Assembly Building to fix the faulty valve.
NASA officials wrote in an update on Saturday that the agency will review schedules and options to demonstrate propellant loading operations during that time.
The decision, or at least the timing of it, was driven to some degree by external factors, NASA officials said, citing upgrades needed at an off-site supplier of gaseous nitrogen used for the test.
NASA will hold an Artemis 1 press conference on Monday at 3 p.m. to discuss the decision and the plans going forward. The time is 1700 GMT. You can watch it live at Space.com.
Artemis 1 will send an uncrewed vehicle around the moon. NASA is hoping to launch the mission this summer but won't set an official target date until teams have analyzed the data.
Mike Wall is the author of Out There, a book about the search for alien life. You can follow him on social media. Follow us on social media.
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