2026年2月25日 / 美国东部时间下午3:56 / CBS新闻
美国国家航空航天局（NASA）周三将其“阿尔忒弥斯II号”月球火箭从其海边发射台缓慢拖回一个处理设施，以排查并修复一个氦气加压问题。这一问题导致原本本月进行的四名宇航员绕月飞行任务至少推迟至4月1日。
一辆重达660万磅的阿波罗时代履带式运输车周二驶上斜坡，抵达38B发射台，并直接停放在350万磅重的太空发射系统（SLS）火箭及其1130万磅重的移动发射平台正下方。
周三早些时候，“阿尔忒弥斯II号”太空发射系统火箭及其移动发射平台被从肯尼迪航天中心的39B发射台拖走，缓慢返回NASA的车辆装配大楼，以修复火箭上面级的氦气加压问题。这次回滚导致四名宇航员绕月飞行任务至少推迟至4月1日。NASA
经过天气检查，确保风速在安全范围内，工程师们使用履带式运输车的液压系统将SLS火箭及其发射平台从支撑基座上抬起，随后于美国东部时间上午9:38开始缓缓返回肯尼迪航天中心巨大的车辆装配大楼。
履带式运输车及其高达2360万磅的巨大载荷，将完成4英里的行程，预计耗时10至12小时，途中可能会有多次启停。
进入车辆装配大楼后，工程师们计划展开服务平台，以便接触到火箭的上面级，即临时低温推进系统（ICPS）。
在上周的一次成功的燃料加注测试后，工程师们无法对上面级的氦气系统进行重新加压。
加压氦气用于将推进剂输送至ICPS发动机、干燥并排空燃料箱和推进剂管道，以及用惰性气体“吹扫”其他腔体，以最大限度减少火灾风险。在“阿尔忒弥斯II号”SLS火箭的两次燃料加注测试中，该系统运行正常。问题是在第二次“湿彩排”倒计时结束后发现的。
2022年“阿尔忒弥斯I号”任务中曾出现过类似问题，当时一个氦气阀门无法正常工作。NASA局长贾里德·艾萨克曼表示，这次问题可能是由同一个阀门导致的，“尽管我们已采取纠正措施，以尽量减少在‘阿尔忒弥斯II号’任务中再次发生类似情况”。
其他可能的原因包括连接到ICPS的脐带缆中的过滤器故障，或快速断开接头的问题。
之所以下令将火箭回滚至车辆装配大楼，是因为工程师在发射台无法接触到ICPS及其龙门架连接。在装配大楼内，可以在SLS火箭周围部署多个平台，以接触到整个322英尺高的火箭。
除了修复氦气加压系统外，工程师们还计划更换SLS自毁系统中的有限寿命电池，以及ICPS中的其他电池。
NASA于1月中旬将“阿尔忒弥斯II号”火箭运往发射台，最初计划于2月6日左右发射，指挥官里德·怀斯曼、维克多·格洛弗、克里斯蒂娜·科赫和加拿大宇航员杰里米·汉森将执行此次任务。
但在为发射扫清障碍的首次湿彩排倒计时期间，检测到氢气泄漏，需要更换燃料管线连接到火箭底部的可疑密封件。上周的第二次燃料加注测试中，更换后的密封件运行正常，未发现问题。
NASA随后暂定发射日期为3月6日，但发现氦气加压问题后，发射窗口被从3月推迟至最早4月1日。
由于地球和月球位置的不断变化、光照条件以及其他特定任务变量，每月仅有少数几次发射机会可用。
NASA hauls moon rocket off launch pad to fix another launch-delaying malfunction
February 25, 2026 / 3:56 PM EST / CBS News
NASA hauled its Artemis II moon rocket off its seaside pad Wednesday for a slow trip back to a processing facility to track down and fix a helium pressurization problem that delayed launch of four astronauts on a flight around the moon from this month to at least April 1.
A 6.6-million-pound Apollo-era crawler-transporter rolled up the ramp to pad 38B on Tuesday and was positioned directly under the 3.5-million-pound Space Launch System rocket and its 11.3-million-pound mobile launch platform.
The Artemis II Space Launch System rocket and its mobile launch platform were hauled off pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday for a slow trip back to NASA’s Vehicle Assembly Building for work to repair a helium pressurization problem with the rocket’s upper stage. The rollback has delayed the launch of four astronauts on a flight around the moon to at least April 1. NASA
After a check of the weather to make sure winds would be within safety limits, engineers used the crawler’s hydraulic system to lift the SLS rocket and its launch platform off its support pedestals and then began inching back toward the Kennedy Space Center’s cavernous Vehicle Assembly Building at 9:38 a.m. EST.
The 4-mile trip of the crawler and its towering load, tipping the scales at a combined 23.6 million pounds, was expected to take 10 to 12 hours to complete, with several stops and starts expected along the way.
Once inside the VAB, engineers plan to deploy service platforms to gain access to the rocket’s upper stage, known as the Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage, or ICPS.
Following a successful fueling test last week, engineers were unable to repressurize the upper stage’s helium system.
Pressurized helium is used in push propellants to the ICPS engine, to dry out and drain tanks and propellant lines and to “purge” other cavities with the inert gas to minimize the risk of fire. During two fueling tests of the Artemis II SLS rocket, the system worked normally. The problem was found after the second “wet dress” rehearsal countdown was over.
A similar problem cropped up with the Artemis I mission in 2022 when a helium valve failed to operate properly. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman said the valve could be the culprit this time around, “though corrective actions were taken to minimize reoccurrence on Artemis II.”
Other possible causes include trouble with a filter in an umbilical connected to the ICPS or problems with a quick-disconnect fitting.
The rollback to the VAB was ordered because engineers did not have access to the ICPS and its gantry connections at the launch pad. In the assembly building, multiple platforms can be deployed around the SLS to provide access to virtually the entire 322-foot-tall vehicle.
Along with repairing the helium pressurization system, engineers also plan to replace limited-life batteries in the SLS’s self-destruct system and to replace other batteries in the ICPS.
NASA rolled the Artemis II rocket to the launch pad in mid January, originally targeting a launch of Commander Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen around Feb. 6.
But during the initial wet dress countdown needed to clear the way for launch, hydrogen leaks were detected, requiring replacement of suspect seals in an umbilical where fuel lines are attached to the base of the rocket. The replacement seals worked normally during a second fueling test last week, and no problems were found.
NASA then tentatively targeted launch for March 6, only to discover the helium pressurization problem, which has pushed the launch out of the March window to no earlier than April 1.
Only a handful of launch opportunities are available each month due to trajectory constraints based on the ever changing positions of the Earth and moon, lighting conditions and other mission-specific variables.
