NASA will send Artemis III to low-Earth orbit instead of the moon, testing docking systems before a planned 2028 lunar landing.

To fix the problem, NASA has to roll SLS and the stacked Orion spacecraft back to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Weather permitting, teams will begin the rollback process on Tuesday, according to a Sunday update.

A test of NASA's towering Space Launch System rocket uncovered another issue with the vehicle meant to launch astronauts on a mission around the moon.

Launch teams replaced a pair of seals and a clogged filter at the Kennedy Space Center pad where the giant moon rocket stands before starting the countdown clocks back up. The two-day test will culminate Thursday with the attempted fill-up of the rocket’s fuel tanks. The four Artemis II astronauts will monitor the crucial dress rehearsal from afar.

NASA has begun a countdown and fueling test for its SLS rocket at the Kennedy Space Center that will determine an Artemis 2 launch date.

NASA is looking to launch the Artemis II moon mission as early as March 6 after a successful wet dress rehearsal at Kennedy Space Center.

Starliner launched on June 5, 2024, carrying NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to the International Space Station. The test flight was initially expected to last between eight and 14 days.