SpaceX rocket explodes at launch site in Florida
This file photo taken on April 06, 2016 shows Space X's Falcon 9 rocket lifting off with an unmanned Dragon cargo craft. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on September 1, 2016, on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida during a test. PHOTO | AFP
What you need to know:
- A dense plume of black smoke filled the air following the blast, television images showed.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded Thursday on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida during a test, destroying it and its payload, the private space firm said.
"Per standard procedure, the pad was clear and there were no injuries," SpaceX said in a statement.
A dense plume of black smoke filled the air following the blast, television images showed.
The US space agency NASA said the incident took place shortly after 9:00 am (1300 GMT).
