NASA successfully completed a critical fueling rehearsal on Thursday (19 February) for its giant moon rocket, Artemis II, after earlier hydrogen leaks disrupted preparations for the next crewed lunar mission. The launch is scheduled for 6 March, according to the latest information from NASA.
For the second time this month, launch teams loaded more than 700,000 gallons (2.6 million litres) of supercold propellant into the 322-foot (98-metre) Space Launch System rocket at Kennedy Space Center.
Engineers counted down to the final 30 seconds before resetting the clock to repeat the last 10 minutes of the simulation.
The test recorded only minimal hydrogen leakage - well within safety limits - marking a significant improvement from the previous attempt, when dangerous amounts of liquid hydrogen escaped from connections between the launch pad and the rocket.
Engineers had replaced a pair of seals and a clogged filter following the earlier test. NASA said the latest results provided confidence in the upgraded hardware.
The Artemis II mission would send four astronauts on a 10-day journey around the Moon and back. The flight would mark the first crewed lunar mission since Apollo 17 in 1972. The crew will neither land on the lunar surface nor enter lunar orbit.
Hydrogen leaks have long posed challenges for NASA, dating back to the space shuttle era, whose engines were adapted for the Space Launch System. The uncrewed Artemis I mission was delayed for months by similar fuel issues before launching in November 2022.
NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the agency will not proceed unless safety standards are fully met. He has pledged to redesign the rocket-to-pad fuel connections ahead of the future Artemis III mission, which aims to land astronauts near the moon’s south pole.
Isaacman also reiterated safety concerns amid scrutiny of Boeing’s Starliner capsule programme, following issues that left two astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station for months.
“We will not launch unless we are ready,” Isaacman said, stressing that astronaut safety remains the agency’s top priority.
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Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Iran and the U.S. exchanged threats on Tuesday, as U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned Tehran to expect the “most intense day" of attacks so far. Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said “anyone who entertains the illusion of destroying Iran knows nothing of history."
The Strait of Hormuz has become a focal point of global concern as tensions rise following the conflict involving Iran, the United States and Israel. Tehran has threatened to block the strategic waterway, raising fears of disruption to global oil shipments and energy markets.
Reports of so-called “acid clouds” moving from Iran towards Central Asia are not supported by scientific data, national hydrometeorological services in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan say, adding there is no threat to the region.
Tensions in the region remained high on Tuesday (10 March), as the United States and Iran exchanged increasingly sharp warnings, including threats over the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a critical artery for global oil supplies.
Global oil prices surpassed $119 a barrel on Monday (9 March, 2026), an almost four year high, as the Middle East conflict rumbled on.
China has urged Afghanistan and Pakistan to resolve their dispute through dialogue after Chinese envoy Yue Xiaoyong met Afghan Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi, as fighting between the two neighbours entered its eleventh day.
Entry and exit across the state border between Azerbaijan and Iran for all types of cargo vehicles, including those in transit, will resume on 9 March, according to a statement by the Cabinet of Ministers of Azerbaijan.
Iran named Mojtaba Khamenei to succeed his father Ali Khamenei as supreme leader on Monday (9 March), signaling that hardliners remain firmly in charge, as the week-old U.S.-Israeli war with Iran pushed oil above $100 a barrel.
Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD is pushing to make charging an electric car almost as quick and convenient as filling up a traditional petrol vehicle - a move that could help remove one of the biggest barriers to wider electric vehicle adoption.
South Korea will soon cease to be one of the few countries where Google Maps does not function fully, after its security-conscious government reversed a two-decade-old policy and approved the export of high-precision map data to overseas servers.
New research suggests 40,000-year-old carved objects from south-western Germany bear repeated marks arranged in organised sign sequences similar to early proto-cuneiform, although they are not regarded as a form of writing.
The chief executive of Google DeepMind, Demis Hassabis, has called for more urgent research into the risks posed by artificial intelligence, warning that stronger safeguards are needed as systems become more advanced.
ByteDance will take steps to prevent the unauthorised use of intellectual property on its artificial intelligence (AI) video generator Seedance 2.0, the Chinese technology firm said on Monday.
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