Nasa postpones rocket launch to Moon after fuel leak

KENNEDY SPACE CENTRE, United States: Nasa on Saturday scrapped a second attempt to get its new 30-story rocket off the ground and send an uncrewed test capsule toward the Moon after engineers detected a fuel leak.

Millions around the globe and crowds gathered on beaches in Florida had hoped to witness the historic blastoff of the Space Launch System (SLS), but a leak near the base of the rocket was found as ultra-cold liquid hydrogen was pumped in.

"The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch," Nasa said in a statement. "Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak... did not fix the issue."

The latest postponement "was the right decision after you develop this kind of leak," astronaut Victor Glover told reporters. "These (are) really incredibly complex machines. When you see a scrub, people should gain confidence, not lose confidence."

The initial launch attempt on Monday was also halted after engineers detected a fuel leak and a sensor showed that one of the rocket’s four main engines was too hot.

Another attempt could take place on Monday or Tuesday next week but Nasa has to consider data from the latest aborted flight before making a decision.

After Tuesday, the rocket has to be hauled back into its assembly building to undergo tests that are carried out periodically.

The mission management team will meet Saturday afternoon and later hold a news conference.