The Artemis 1 moon rocket was supposed to be launched on Saturday, but failed to stem a fuel leak. It was the second time in five days that the craft was stuck on the launch pad.
Kennedy Space Center waited until the last minute to scrub the liftoff after several attempts to plug the leak of liquid hydrogen failed.
The severity of the problem, deep inside one of the rocket engines, made it unlikely that launchpad fixes would be possible, according to Bill Nelson, head of the US space agency.
The maiden test flight of the first crewed moon mission in 50 years will be further delayed if that happens. The next attempt will be delayed until the end of September, according to senior officials.
He said that this is part of the business. When it's ready, we'll go. We don't go until then because we're going to stress this and test it and make sure it's right before we put four humans up on the top.
I think the next launch window will be more like the middle.
Mission managers will meet later on Saturday to make a decision.
The launch was called off at 11.17am local time (4.17pmBT) with 2 hours and 30 minutes left in the clock.
The engine cooling issue that forced the postponement of the first launch attempt last Monday is not related to the fuel leak. The officials said that the problem was a faulty sensor, not an issue with the cooling system or engine.
A large leak was found in the engine section at the bottom of the truck. Ground controllers tried to plug it by stopping the fuel flow and restarting it in order to close the gap around the supply line seal. The leak persisted even though they tried that twice. Three to four hours of futile efforts stopped the clock.
The mission manager told journalists that it was too early to tell what caused the leak, but that it might have been due to over-pressurization of the hydrogen line.
He said that the leaking hydrogen exceeded flammability limits by two or three times.
There were hydrogen leaks on the rocket on Monday. Blackwell-Thompson said she wouldn't know if everything was tight until Saturday's fueling. The agency wants to showcase the progress it has made in returning humans to the moon for the first time since 1972, but it will be disappointed by the latest setbacks.
This uncrewed mission, to 40,000 miles beyond the moon and back, is uncrewed but must be successful before astronauts can board a second test flight and a moon landing.
A quarter-million spectators packed the beaches and causeways of Florida's space coast on the Labor Day holiday weekend to watch a moment of history.
The most powerful rocket ever to leave Earth when it finally launches will have a liquid hydrogen leak in one of its engines.
The engines are from the space shuttle programme and give 15% more thrust than the Apollo V rockets.
The Associated Press.
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