NASA said on Saturday it had scrapped plans for Tuesday's launch of the Artemis mission, the United States' return to the moon after five decades, citing concern over forecasts of a tropical storm headed for Florida.
Tropical Storm Ian is expected to reach Florida, home to the Kennedy Space Center, next week, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
Weather and technical issues such as a fuel leak aside, Artemis I – an unmanned test flight – marks a major turning point for NASA's human spaceflight program after decades focused on low-Earth orbit with space shuttles and the International Space Station.
Artemis will head to the Moon, as a preliminary to a future flight to Mars.
Named for the goddess who was the twin sister of Apollo in ancient Greek mythology, Artemis aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface in 2025, though many experts believe that deadline is likely to be pushed back.
