Mankind’s leap back to the moon will have to wait at least a month more after a final Artemis II launch rehearsal revealed critical fuel leaks in the mission’s giant rocket. The Artemis II launch won’t happen until at least March after Monday’s “wet dress rehearsal” found the Space Launch System rocket was leaking liquid hydrogen as the fuel was pumped through its systems.

On Monday, after rolling the SLS rocket to be used for the Artemis II mission to the pad in January, NASA attempted its first wet-dress test with this new vehicle. At one of the main interfaces where liquid hydrogen enters the vehicle, a leak developed, not dissimilar to problems that occurred with the Artemis I rocket three years ago.

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — NASA’s dress rehearsal for its mega moon rocket is off until at least this weekend because of a pair of technical problems that kept stalling a fueling test. Launch managers tried twice — once Sunday and again Monday ...