NASA calls off Moon rocket launch due to fuel leak

Why it matters: NASA is hoping to use this rocket and capsule to one day return people to the surface of the Moon for the first time since the 1970s.

Catch up quick: The space agency decided to call off the launch after a hydrogen leak popped up during fueling that they weren't able to correct in time to get off the pad.

• Mission controllers attempted to fix the leak multiple times, but they weren't able to resolve it.
• NASA engineers are planning to make a decision on how best to fix the issue early next week.
• "We're not going to launch until it's right," NASA administrator Bill Nelson said during a post-scrub press conference Saturday.
• This delay comes after technical issues scrubbed an earlier launch attempt on Monday.

The big picture: NASA is planning to send people back to the lunar surface in 2025, with multiple SLS launches scheduled between now and then.

• This mission, called Artemis I, is designed to test out systems that will be needed to safely send people to the Moon.
• For this flight, the SLS is expected to send Orion on a journey around the Moon before the capsule comes back in for a landing on Earth, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information about the SLS' next launch attempt.