NEW YORK, September 4. /TASS/. The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) will make another attempt to launch the Space Launch System (SLS) giant rocket and its Orion capsule on the mission to the Moon not earlier than September 6, a senior NASA official said.

An attempt to launch the Orion spacecraft atop the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket as part of a flight to the Moon was scheduled for Saturday, September 3, but was postponed due to a liquid hydrogen leak while the propellant was being loaded into the rocket.

The current launch period for the spacecraft is called ‘Launch Period 25’ and it closes on September 6.

"Launch period 25 is definitely off the table," Spacenews.com quoted Jim Free, NASA associate administrator for exploration systems development, as saying at a news briefing.

NASA chief Bill Nelson confirmed this information saying that "We're not going to launch until it's right, and that is standard operating procedure, and will continue to be."

The US National Aeronautics and Space Administration said in a statement on Saturday: "The launch director waived off today’s Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 11:17 a.m. EDT. Teams encountered a liquid hydrogen leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket. Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak by reseating a seal in the quick disconnect where liquid hydrogen is fed into the rocket did not fix the issue. Engineers are continuing to gather additional data."

The initial launch was planned for August 29, but it was delayed for technical reasons, which included a fuel leak as well.