NASA delays Artemis I launch for third time due to potential hurricane

NASA is skipping next week's launch attempt of its new moon rocket because of a tropical storm that's expected to become a major hurricane.

It's the third delay in the past month for the lunar-orbiting test flight featuring mannequins but no astronauts, a follow-up to NASA's Apollo moon-landing programme of a half-century ago.

Hydrogen fuel leaks and other technical issues caused the previous scrubs.

Currently churning in the Caribbean, Tropical Storm Ian is expected to become a hurricane by Monday and slam into Florida's Gulf coast by Thursday.

The entire state, however, is in the cone showing the probable path of the storm's center including NASA's Kennedy Space Centre.

Given the forecast uncertainties, NASA decided Saturday to forgo Tuesday's planned launch attempt and instead prepare the 322-foot (98-metre) rocket for a possible return to its hangar. Managers will decide Sunday whether to haul it off the launch pad.

If the rocket remains at the pad, NASA could try for an Oct