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SpaceX Rocket Explodes On Kennedy Space Center Launchpad

WMFE
The smoke from the explosion at Kennedy Space Center was visible from miles.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket exploded on a launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida. Witnesses say the explosion rattled buildings miles away from the launch pad. Flames and black smoke could be seen at the pad, and the plume of smoke was picked up by local radar.

“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,” says SpaceX spokesperson John Taylor. “Per standard procedure, the pad was clear and there were no injuries.”

Officials say there is no threat to public safety.

SpaceX planned to launch a communications satellite for Israeli operator AMOS this weekend. Officials say the explosion occurred during a pre-launch test-fire of the Falcon 9 engines. Both the rocket and satellite were destroyed.

NASA says it’s too early to tell if other launches are affected by the accident. United Launch Alliance planned to send the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft to an asteroid next week.

The accident follows a string of successes for SpaceX in recent months. It’s landed sever first stage boosters after launch in the hopes of developing rocket re-usability. SpaceX planned to launch the company’s first refurbished rocket later this year.

SpaceX has not said what caused the anomaly or the impact on future launches.

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