NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket returns to hangar for repairs. When could it fly?

NASA's Artemis 2 moon rocket is seen inside the Vehicle Assembly Building at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 25, 2026, after rolling back from the launch pad.

Four astronauts will have to wait a little longer before launching on their historic mission to the moon.

Their rocket, the Space Launch System (SLS), rolled back from Launch Complex-39B (LC-39B) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida today (Feb. 25). It's now safely tucked inside the VAB's High Bay 3, where engineers will begin work to address issues on the rocket's upper stage, in an area inaccessible out at the pad.