Arctic Cold Delays NASA's Artemis II Moon Mission, Feb Launch Windows Ruled Out

• NASA has postponed the Artemis II Moon mission due to extreme winter weather on Florida's space coast.
• An unusual Arctic cold wave brought freezing temperatures and strong winds to Kennedy Space Center, raising concerns for flight hardware.
• Engineers are protecting the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft from cold damage using heaters and environmental controls.
• The critical wet dress rehearsal, involving cryogenic fuel loading, was delayed from this weekend to February 2 due to safety concerns.
• Consequently, previously planned launch opportunities on February 6 and 7 have been ruled out, pushing the mission further into February.

Why It Matters: Extreme Arctic cold in Florida has forced NASA to delay the Artemis II Moon mission and its early February launch windows.