NASA postpones Artemis I mission launch again as bid to plug hazardous leak fails

The rocket, which is the most powerful ever built by NASA, is 32-story tall and was due for blastoff from Cape Canaveral.

While engineers scrambled to plug what was believed to be a gap around a seal in the supply line, hydrogen fuel began leaking from the engine section at the bottom of the rocket and as a result, its launch has been postponed.

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Pushing it to the limit before astronauts get on the next flight, NASA wants to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon.

Astronauts could fly around the moon in 2024 and land on it in 2025 if the five-week demo with test dummies succeeds.

Also see |In pics: NASA's gigantic SLS moon rocket, a 'practice' for future Mars mission

While the launch can be delayed by up to two hours if necessary, it is still scheduled for 2:17 pm (1817 GMT).

An estimated 400,000 people were gathering on beaches nearby to see although the area around the launch site will be closed to the public.

After engineers detected a fuel leak and a sensor showed that one of the rocket's four main engines was too hot, the initial launch attempt was halted.

According to Jeremy Parsons, deputy manager of exploration ground systems at Kennedy Space Center, "Our team is ready."

The resulting damage could lead to an abrupt engine shutdown and aborted flight if the main engines are not as frigid as the liquid hydrogen fuel flowing into them at minus-420 degrees Fahrenheit as per launch director Charlie Blackwell-Thompson.

(With inputs from agencies)

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