After overnight data showed an interruption in helium flow in the SLS interim cryogenic propulsion stage, teams are troubleshooting and preparing for a likely rollback of Artemis II to the VAB at @NASAKennedy. This will almost assuredly impact the March launch window. @NASA will…
A thought experiment, to which I’ve gotten little response so far.
So, there's an argument going on in Space X (as opposed to SpaceX) about why we have to continue to waste money on SLS/Orion if we want to beat the Chinese back to the Moon. When I propose alternatives, I get objections like "Dragon can't come back from the Moon," "Nothing else…
I will just say we are leaning forward with transparency, sharing the blemishes and the successes, because for a program as costly and important to national security as Artemis, the public is entitled to the facts.
– The confidence test related to the seals we repaired and…
Who knew that liquid hydrogen could have leak issues?
Notice the subtle shade from Jared: ““With more than three years between SLS [Space Launch System] launches, we fully anticipated encountering challenges.”
The Artemis vision began with President Trump, but the SLS architecture and its components long predate his administration, with much of the heritage clearly traced back to the Shuttle era. As I stated during my hearings, and will say again, this is the fastest path to return… https://t.co/bu0SvThwS9
— NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman (@NASAAdmin) February 3, 2026
It’s not even the fastest path, but it is probably the one with lowest risk. We could get back to the Moon faster and at lower cost, but we’d have to accept more risk than NASA and Congress have demonstrated the ability to do.
I’ve been busy with the conference, compounded by the fact that I brought the wrong mouse with me for the laptop, so light posting. But it’s worth noting the anniversary of the loss of Challenger. Which is also (as always) my birthday.