FLORIDA - The planned launch of a robotic moon lander built by Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines was called off less than two hours before Wednesday's lift-off time and postponed for at least a day, Reuters reported, citing launch contractor SpaceX on Tuesday night.

SpaceX said it would aim for the next launch opportunity for the uncrewed mission, which is slated for 1:05 am EST on Thursday.

SpaceX said, on the social media platform X, that the launch team was "standing down from tonight's attempt" because of irregular methane temperatures before loading.

The precise function of the methane and its implications for the proper function of the Falcon 9 rocket were not immediately explained. The rocket's Merlin engines run on kerosene and liquid oxygen.

The decision to scrub the Intuitive Machines flight, set for lift-off at 12:57 am EST on Wednesday from NASA's Kennedy Space Centre at Cape Canaveral, Florida, came about 75 minutes before launch time.