Feb. 3 (UPI) -- NASA early Tuesday announced it was pushing the launch date of its Artemis II mission to March, after engineers encountered a liquid hydrogen leak during a critical prelaunch test.

Feb 3 : NASA said on Tuesday it was targeting a March window to launch its Artemis 2 mission to send four astronauts around the moon after a delay in this week's departure, caused by a leak of liquid hydrogen during a key "wet dress rehearsal".The mission is the second in the multibillion-dollar Artemis moon

Feb 3 : NASA said on Tuesday it was targeting a March window to launch its Artemis 2 mission to send four astronauts around the moon after a delay in this week's departure, caused by a leak of liquid hydrogen during a key "wet dress rehearsal".The mission is the second in the multibillion-dollar Artemis moon

Abnormally cold weather forecast over the weekend for Florida delayed both the earliest possible launch date for the Artemis 2 mission and a crucial fueling test for the Space Launch System rocket.

: This is starting to sound oddly familiar

NASA's Artemis 2 moon mission has been delayed following a 'liquid hydrogen leak' - this is a breaking story

This scrub likely pushes back the earliest Artemis II launch window, previously eyed for early February 2026, including dates like February 8.

A dress rehearsal countdown for NASA’s Artemis 2 moon rocket, intended to clear the way for a possible February launch, ran into a variety of problems and ultimately was called off early Tuesday because of an out-of-limits hydrogen leak. Shortly after, NASA announced the long awaited flight to send four astronauts on a trip around the moon, was being delayed to March at the earliest.

Space Agency said Engineers are actively monitoring hydrogen concentrations at the tail service mast umbilical, the site of a previous leak and report that the levels are currently stable.