NASA’s rollout of the Artemis II rocket has been delayed due to wind, officials say

PASCHALL-BROWN LIV ON THAT BREAKING NEWS. AS SOON AS WE LEARNED ANYTHING ELSE, WE’LL BRING IT TO YOU. IN THE MEANTIME, TAKING A LIVE LOOK AT THE KENNEDY SPACE CENTER RIGHT NOW, VIEWS FROM INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING AS NASA TRIES TO ROLL ARTEMIS TWO BACK OUT TO THE LAUNCH PAD. THE PROCESS WAS SUPPOSED TO START AT 8:00, BUT SO FAR NOW AT 11, THE ROCKET HASN’T MOVED MUCH. NASA SAYS IT IS MONITORING THE WIND BEFORE IT ROLLS THE ROCKET OUT. WESH TWO HAS TEAM COVERAGE TONIGHT FOR CHIEF METEOROLOGIST. TONY MAINOLFI IS TRACKING THE WINDS AT THE CAPE RIGHT NOW. BUT FIRST, LET’S GO OUT TO SPACE COAST REPORTER MEGAN MORIARTY. MEGAN, WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM NASA SO FAR? SO NASA SAYS THAT THEY ARE GOING TO BE MONITORING WIND CONDITIONS BEFORE ROLLING THAT ROCKET OUT. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE ABOUT THREE HOURS INTO THE PROCESS, BUT IT IS VERY WINDY OUT HERE. I MEAN, YOU CAN SEE THOUGH, THAT THIS ROCKET HAS NOT MOVED AND WE HAVE BEEN SHOWING YOU LIVE LOOKS. WE SHOWED YOU AT TEN AND EARLIER THIS EVENING AS WELL. AND IT’S STILL IN THE SAME SPOT AS IT WAS. WE WANT TO SHOW YOU A LIVE LOOK FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE TOWARDS THE VEHICLE ASSEMBLY BUILDING. ACCORDING TO NASA’S WEATHER CRITERIA, IF SUSTAINED WIND IS GREATER THAN 45 TO 50MPH, IT’S NOT SAFE TO ROLL THE ROCKET OUT. NOW, WHILE WE’RE NOT HITTING THAT NUMBER, WE ARE FAIRLY CLOSE. IT IS INCREDIBLY WINDY OUT HERE, NASA OFFICIAL TOLD ME THAT EARLIER TODAY IT WAS AROUND 32 MILE PER HOUR WINDS, AND OUR FIRST WARNING WEATHER TEAM HAS BEEN TRACKING WIND GUSTS BETWEEN 20 AND 40MPH. NOW, THIS IS NASA’S SECOND ROLLOUT OF THE ARTEMIS TWO ROCKET. IT HAD TO BE ROLLED BACK TO THE VAB LAST MONTH FOR REPAIRS AFTER A HELIUM FLOW ISSUE WAS DETECTED, AND THAT DELAYED A MARCH LAUNCH DATE. PRIOR TO THAT, DURING A CRITICAL FUELING TEST, ENGINEERS FOUND HYDROGEN LEAKS, WHICH CANCELED THE FEBRUARY LAUNCH DATE. SO NOW WE’RE TARGETING AS EARLY AS APRIL 1ST WITH SEVERAL BACKUP OPPORTUNITIES UNTIL APRIL 6TH. HOWEVER, THIS ROCKET DOES NEED TO ROLL OUT TO THE PAD FAIRLY SOON BECAUSE IT SHOULD BE OUT ON THE PAD FOR AT LEAST TEN DAYS BEFORE LAUNCH DATE. THEY HAVE TO DO ADDITIONAL TESTING ONCE THEY’RE OUT AT THE PAD, TO ENSURE THAT THE REPAIRS THAT THEY DID INSIDE THIS BUILDING WILL HOLD UP ON LAUNCH DAY. SO WE WILL CONTINUE TO UPDATE YOU AS WE LEARN MORE. BUT FOR NOW, THAT ROCKET IS STILL IN THE VAB. NO OFFICIAL WORD FROM NASA ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY’RE GOING TO DELA

NASA’s rollout of the Artemis II rocket has been delayed due to wind, officials say

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Updated: 11:28 PM EDT Mar 19, 2026

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NASA Artemis II rocket rollout has been delayed due to wind, according to officials.The process was supposed to start at 8 p.m. on Thursday, moving the rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center. Officials hope for liftoff between April 1 and April 6, following the resolution of an issue with the flow of helium in the rocket’s upper stage.The rollout process, which could take between eight and 12 hours, marks the second time NASA has undertaken this procedure with Artemis II.NASA has confirmed that the helium issue has been fixed, and the Artemis II team is currently in quarantine in Houston. During a recent news conference, NASA officials said, “Again, while I am comfortable and the agency is comfortable with targeting April 1st as our first opportunity. Just keep in mind we still have work to go. There are still things that need to be done within the VAB and out at the pad. And as always, we’ll always be guided by what the hardware is telling us, and we will launch when we’re ready.”

CAPE CANAVERAL, FL —

NASA Artemis II rocket rollout has been delayed due to wind, according to officials.

The process was supposed to start at 8 p.m. on Thursday, moving the rocket from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center.

Officials hope for liftoff between April 1 and April 6, following the resolution of an issue with the flow of helium in the rocket’s upper stage.

The rollout process, which could take between eight and 12 hours, marks the second time NASA has undertaken this procedure with Artemis II.

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NASA has confirmed that the helium issue has been fixed, and the Artemis II team is currently in quarantine in Houston. During a recent news conference, NASA officials said, “Again, while I am comfortable and the agency is comfortable with targeting April 1st as our first opportunity. Just keep in mind we still have work to go. There are still things that need to be done within the VAB and out at the pad. And as always, we’ll always be guided by what the hardware is telling us, and we will launch when we’re ready.”