Houston: The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has postponed the launch of its Artemis 2 lunar probe to March due to a liquid hydrogen leak during testing. This mission is set to pave the way for humanity's first return to the moon in over 50 years.

According to Thai News Agency, NASA aims to begin its Artemis 2 lunar exploration mission in March, after postponing this week's launch due to a leak of liquid hydrogen during a wet dress rehearsal, a crucial step before the actual launch. Meanwhile, NASA released the astronauts who had been quarantined since January 21st to prepare for the launch after the test run was postponed. The mission has a crew of four: three American astronauts and one Canadian, who will test the spacecraft systems and operational procedures in real-world lunar flight conditions.

The Artemis 2 mission is the second mission in the multi-billion dollar Artemis program, following the unmanned flight in 2022. It marks NASA's first mission to send astronauts into lunar orbit, lasting approximately 10 days. This journey will take humans further from Earth than ever before in space flight history.

Artemis 2 is considered a significant step in paving the way for a human return to the moon after more than 50 years, since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Data and experience from this mission will be used to prepare for the future Artemis 3 mission, which aims to land astronauts on the lunar surface and lay the foundation for deep space exploration, including long-term missions to Mars.