Artemis I launch updates: launch scrubbed after reoccurring liquid hydrogen leak

Mission management team will meet Saturday to see if there is still a possibility for a launch, or if they will have to roll back into the vehicle assembly building, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said speaking on NASA TV.

If they decide to roll back into the vehicle assembly building, then it will be an October launch, more likely toward the middle of October.

Nelson said the launch will happen when it is ready, saying, "This is part of our space program; be ready for the scrubs."

The launch director has officially decided to scrub the launch scheduled for Saturday afternoon after NASA engineers detected several liquid hydrogen leaks.

NASA engineers encountered the leak while loading the propellant into the core stage of the Space Launch System rocket.

Multiple troubleshooting efforts to address the area of the leak did not fix the issue. NASA said engineers are continuing to gather additional data.

NASA has not yet said when it plans to make another launch attempt.

-ABC News' Gio Benitez

NASA engineers have detected a liquid hydrogen leak for the fourth time, despite three attempts to troubleshoot the leak. NASA said its teams are now discussing next steps.

A third leak occurred earlier in a cavity between the ground and flight side plates of a quick disconnect in the engine section. They attempted to warm up the quick disconnect to try to reset the seal then began flowing liquid hydrogen to the core stage.

NASA said the liquid oxygen tank of the core stage is full and is being replenished as some of the super-cooled propellant boils off.

NASA engineers said they will stop the flowing liquid hydrogen into the tank after they detected the reoccurrence of a leak Saturday. They will close the valve used to fill and drain it, then increase pressure on a ground transfer line using helium to try to reseal it.

A leak reoccured as engineers increased the pressure on the flow of liquid hydrogen into the core stage, NASA said.

Engineers will attempt to reseat the seal in the quick disconnect cavity where the leak was detected. The flow of liquid oxygen to the core stage will continue, NASA said.