Space-Siren’s Call: Why Artemis 2 is Returning to the Hangar
In the latest setback for the Artemis 2 mission, NASA said on Saturday that it will move the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and the Orion spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) starting February 24. Because of this delay, the first crewed Moon mission since Apollo 17 will now happen no earlier than April.
Just one day earlier, NASA had said it was ready to launch Artemis 2 as soon as March 6, after successfully completing a second wet dress rehearsal (a full fueling test and practice countdown) on February 19. However, on February 21, engineers found a problem when the helium supply to the rocket’s upper stage was unexpectedly interrupted.
Helium is used to keep pressure inside the rocket’s liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen tanks. Without this pressure, the fuel cannot properly flow to the engine, which is needed to push the Orion spacecraft toward the Moon.
It is important to note that the helium system was working fine during the main practice test. The problem was found later during routine checks after the test was completed. This means the issue did not show up during the final major test that was supposed to confirm the rocket was fully ready to fly.
Engineers are trying to find out exactly where the problem is. They are checking the helium pipes that carry the gas, a control valve inside the rocket’s upper stage, and a filter that connects the ground equipment to the rocket.
Until they fix the issue, the team is using a backup system to keep the rocket’s upper stage safe, properly pressurized, and stable, so nothing gets damaged.
This problem is similar to one that happened during the Artemis 1 mission in 2022, when a faulty helium check valve in the same type of upper stage forced NASA to move the rocket back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB). However, in that case, the issue was found during the wet dress rehearsal test itself.
No matter where the current problem started, the rocket has to be moved back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) before engineers can properly fix it. This 525-foot-tall building, one of the largest buildings in the world by volume, is the only place ever used to put together a rocket that carried humans to another world. Inside the VAB, engineers have large cranes and a controlled indoor environment, which help them safely repair and check the rocket’s upper stage.
To reach the building, the rocket will travel about 6.8 kilometres along a special road at a very slow speed of around 1.6 kilometres per hour, carried by NASA’s huge moving platform called the crawler. The crawler alone weighs about 3,000 tons (without load) and can carry up to 8,100 tons. It uses nearly 165 gallons (624.5 lts) of diesel for every mile it moves, showing how massive and powerful it is.
The launch pad platforms that were set up on February 20 for launch preparations had to be removed first. This was done to protect them from expected strong winds and also to clear the way in case the rocket needed to be moved back. Now that this work is finished, the path is clear for the rocket to return to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) as early as February 24.
Because of the Moon’s flight path requirements, Artemis 2 can launch only during a short window of a few days, and this chance comes about once every four weeks. Due to the helium leak and the repair work needed, the mission will now miss the March 6–11 launch window.
As reported by astronomy.com , the next launch window is from April 1 to April 6, and NASA is now aiming for this period. However, if engineers are unable to fix the problem and prepare the rocket in time, the mission could be delayed even further. The agency will also hold a media briefing in the coming days to give more details.
The Artemis 2 crew — Commander Reid Wiseman, Pilot Victor Glover, Mission Specialist Christina Koch (NASA), and Mission Specialist Jeremy Hansen (Canadian Space Agency) — were released from quarantine and returned to Houston once again.
The crew had first started their usual 14-day pre-launch quarantine on January 23, but they were released early February after the launch was postponed from its planned February window to March.
(Girish Linganna is an award-winning science communicator and a Defence, Aerospace & Geopolitical Analyst. He is the Managing Director of ADD Engineering Components India Pvt. Ltd., a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany.)
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect the views, policies, or position of the publication, its editors, or its management. The publication is not responsible for the accuracy of any information, statements, or opinions presented in this piece.
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Stark reality of 'Viksit Bharat': Rahul slams govt over Noida workers' protest
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New Delhi (PTI): A day after the workers' protest turned violent in Noida, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Tuesday said what unfolded on the streets was the "final cry" of this nation's workers and said the burden of US tariff wars, global inflation and fractured supply chains has not fallen upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "industrialist friends" but squarely upon the daily-wage labourer.
The Leader of Opposition said he stands with every worker who is the backbone of this country, and whom the Modi government has "come to view as a burden".
"What unfolded on the streets of Noida yesterday was the final cry of this nation's workers - a voice that went unheard at every turn, a voice weary from ceaseless pleading," Gandhi said in a post in Hindi on X.
A labourer working in Noida earns a monthly wage of Rs 12,000, yet faces a monthly rent burden of Rs 4,000 to Rs 7,000, the former Congress chief said.
By the time they receive a meager annual increment of Rs 300, their landlord has already hiked the rent by Rs 500, he pointed out.
"Before their wages can catch up, this unbridled inflation strangles life, plunging them into the depths of debt- this is the stark reality of 'Viksit Bharat'," Gandhi said.
"As one female worker remarked, 'Gas prices keep rising, but our wages do not'. In the midst of this gas crisis, these individuals have likely had to purchase a single cylinder for as much as Rs 5,000 just to keep the stoves in their homes burning," Gandhi said.
This is not merely an issue confined to Noida, nor is it an issue unique to India alone, fuel prices are skyrocketing across the globe and supply chains have been disrupted due to the conflict in West Asia, he said.
"However, the burden of America's tariff wars, global inflation, and fractured supply chains has not fallen upon Modi Ji's 'industrialist friends'. The heaviest blow has landed squarely upon the daily-wage labourer - the one who must earn each day just to eat that same day," Gandhi said.
"The labourer who played no part in any war, who drafted no policies, who simply did his work. Silently. Without complaint. And what does he receive in return when he demands his rightful dues? Coercion and oppression," the Congress leader said.
Another critical issue is that the Modi government, in a hasty and unilateral move, implemented four new Labour Codes effective November 2025, thereby extending the standard workday to 12 hours, he said.
"Is the demand of a labourer, who stands and works for 12 hours every single day, yet still has to borrow money to pay his children's school fees, truly unreasonable? And is the one who systematically denies him his rights each day truly delivering 'development'?" Gandhi said.
Noting that labourers of Noida are demanding a wage of Rs 20,000, Gandhi said this is not greed, it is his right, the sole foundation of his life.
"I stand with every worker who is the backbone of this country, and whom this government has come to view as a burden," Gandhi said.
Vehicles, including police SUVs, were torched, public property vandalised, and stone-pelting reported from industrial hubs in Noida on Monday as protests by factory workers demanding a wage hike turned violent, paralysing traffic.
The Uttar Pradesh Police used mild force to disperse the agitators and later registered FIRs against two X handles, charging them with spreading rumours linked to the unrest. The state government also formed a special panel to address the crisis.
Violence was first reported in the afternoon, with sporadic stone-pelting and vandalism continuing till 5 pm. No major incidents of arson or violence were reported thereafter, officials said.
The unrest, which began in the morning, left thousands of commuters stranded on key routes leading to Delhi during peak hours. Long queues of vehicles stretching several kilometres were reported at the Delhi-Noida border, with major congestion at Sector 62, National Highway-24, Sector 63 and the Chilla border. Protesters blocked key routes, including stretches connecting Sector 62 to Sector 16 and NH-9.
Officials said a large number of workers from industrial units in Phase-2 and Sector 60 gathered to press for long-pending wage revision demands and raised slogans.
Similar protests were reported from Sector 62 and Sector 84, including at a Motherson company unit. NH-9, a key link between Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh, was also blocked.
The protests soon escalated, with some protesters torching vehicles, vandalising property and pelting stones.
Officials said workers had been mobilising support for their demands on a wage hike and better working conditions in factories over the last two days. However, it was not clear what sparked the violence during the protest.
Gautam Buddh Nagar Police Commissioner Laxmi Singh on Tuesday said that more than 300 individuals had been arrested and seven FIRs registered in connection with the workers' protest that turned violent in Noida.
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