A SpaceX rocket exploded on the launchpad shortly after 9 a.m. Thursday in Cape Canaveral, Florida, destroying the rocket and the communications satellite it had been set to carry into orbit this Saturday.
"SpaceX can confirm that in preparation for today's static fire, there was an anomaly on the pad resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its payload. Per standard procedure, the pad was clear and there were no injuries," SpaceX spokesman Phil Larson told NBC News in an email.
Multiple explosions rocked the test site at Space Launch Complex 40 at the Kennedy Space Center and sent billowing plumes of smoke into the atmosphere.
SpaceX was preparing for its next launch, scheduled for Saturday morning, to carry the Amos 6 satellite into orbit for Israeli satellite operators Spacecom. SpaceX conducts static fire tests of a rocket's engines before every launch to ensure everything is running smoothly before launch day.
NASA spokesman Al Feinberg said emergency personnel were monitoring the situation and standing by to assist, and the air quality was being monitored for any potential threats to employees.
The explosion happened during a banner year for Space X and was set to be the company's ninth launch of 2016
SpaceX landed its first rocket in December and has landed five more since then. The company announced earlier this week it would launch its first recycled rocket with a paying customer, Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES, before the end of the year.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX, has said he believes reusing rockets — which cost as much as a commercial airliner — could greatly reduce the cost of getting to space.
While many other rockets burn up on re-entry, SpaceX designed one that is able to withstand the heat of re-entry and land vertically so it can be used again on a future launch.
SpaceX suffered its biggest setback to date in June 2015 when its Dragon vessel exploded shortly after taking off on a NASA-contracted cargo run to the International Space Station, destroying thousands of pounds of cargo.
SpaceX resumed its NASA missions last April. The company also has a contract with NASA to carry astronauts to the International Space Station on board its Crew Dragon, a voyage that could happen as early as 2018.
Musk founded SpaceX in 2002 with the goal of revolutionizing space technology and exploration, including his "ultimate goal" to allow humanity to become a multi-planetary society.
The billionaire announced in April SpaceX plans to send an unmanned Dragon spacecraft on a test flight to Mars as early as 2018.
NASA will offer SpaceX technical support for the mission, including access to the Deep Space Network, in exchange for data on Martian entry, descent and landing, according to a blog post from Deputy Administrator Dava Newman.
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