NASA Troubleshooting Leak Ahead of Moon Mission Launch

NASA’s Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft are rolled out of the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 17.Photographer: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

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By Lorelei Smillie

February 2, 2026 at 4:52 PM UTC

Updated on

February 2, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTC

NASA is troubleshooting a fuel line leak during a major test of its moon rocket on Monday.

NASA began conducting a fueling test for its Artemis II mission earlier in the day, the agency said, in a key rehearsal that could pave the way to return astronauts to the vicinity of the moon for the first time since 1972.