The NASA launch teams on Saturday made a "no go" recommendation to the launch director for the planned liftoff of the rocket for the Artemis 1 mission after at least four fuel leaks were discovered. 

It was the second time in a week NASA had been forced to abort an attempt to launch its giant, next-generation rocketship. The space agency said it could delay the debut mission of its moon-to-Mars Artemis program by weeks if not months.

With a two-week launch blackout period looming in just a few days, the rocket is now grounded until late September or October. NASA will work around a high-priority SpaceX astronaut flight to the International Space Station scheduled for early October.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stressed that safety is the top priority, especially on a test flight like this where everyone wants to verify the rocket's systems "before we put four humans up on the top of it."

"Just remember: We're not going to launch until it's right," he said.

Thousands of people who jammed the coast over the long Labor Day weekend, hoping to see the Space Launch System rocket soar, left disappointed.

The Artemis 1 mission was set to send the Space Launch System rocket and an uncrewed Orion spacecraft on a roughly 40-day journey around the moon.

NASA has been waiting years to send the crew capsule atop the rocket around the moon. Twelve astronauts walked on the moon during the Apollo program, the last time in 1972.

(With input from agencies)