NASA postpones launch of Artemis II moon rocket due to technical malfunctions

NASA has moved its moonbound Artemis II rocket off the launch pad on Wednesday for more repairs.

The 98-metre Space Launch System rocket, rolled out in January, has been integrated with the Orion spacecraft at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and stood ready for a potential liftoff for more than a month.

However, managers ordered the rollback to the hangar called the Vehicle Assembly Building over the weekend, after the rocket encountered malfunction in its helium pressurisation system.

Already delayed a month by hydrogen fuel leaks, the lunar fly-around by a crew of four US-Canadian astronauts is now postponed until at least April.