Elon Musk’s private spaceflight company, SpaceX, was conducting a routine test of its unmanned Falcon 9 rocket at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station when something went wrong, resulting in an explosion that rocked the launch site, according to reports.
Details of the explosion are still coming in, but SpaceX confirmed that the blast occurred as the company prepared to do static fire test today.
“There was an anomaly on the pad resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its payload,” SpaceX said. “Per standard procedure, the pad was clear and there were no injuries.”
Shortly after the blast, the Associated Press reported that “buildings several miles away shook from the blast, and multiple explosions continued for several minutes.”
“A cloud of dark smoke filled the overcast sky,” the AP added. “Sirens could be heard in the aftermath.”
