An explosion was reported at the launchpad of a SpaceX rocket at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, United States, on Thursday morning (local time). A SpaceX Falcon-9 rocket blew up during a test run at Launch Complex 40 around 9 am, according to USA Today. Multiple explosions could be heard after the initial blast.
Residents from many kilometres away said they felt a shock wave in buildings and could see black smoke rising from the premises. The unmanned rocket was reportedly being tested as a standard check before its scheduled launch of the Amos-6 communications satellite for Israel's Spacecom early on Saturday.
SpaceX, which is trying to manufacture reusable rockets and make space travel affordable, confirmed the explosion in a statement and said there was an "anomaly" on the pad during the test, but no one sustained any injuries. It had earlier used its Falcon-9 rocket to ferry supplies to the International Space Station, according to BBC.
The Brevard County Emergency Management Office said on Twitter that the general public did not face a threat from the "catastrophic abort" during static test fire at the SpaceX launchpad.
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