Things did not go as planned during a SpaceX operation this morning in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Elon Musk's private spaceflight company 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 scant, but in a statement to PCMag, 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."
Reuters posted video of smoke rising from the location.
LIVE: SpaceX says no injuries in blast, 'anomaly' on launch pad destroyed vehicle, payload https://t.co/ADXp7NJRMh pic.twitter.com/OsX1pNAuWQ — Reuters Live (@ReutersLive) September 1, 2016
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."
The Brevard County Emergency Management Office this morning tweeted that "there is NO threat to general public from catastrophic abort during static test fire at SpaceX launch pad at [Cape Canaveral Air Force Station] this morning."
The blast comes after SpaceX last month successfully landed its Falcon 9 rocket for the sixth time. Before today, the company's last major setback occurred in June when its rocket exploded after an otherwise-successful mission to launch two communications satellites into orbit. SpaceX made history in April with its first successful landing of the Falcon 9 rocket booster on a platform in the Atlantic Ocean.