SpaceX rocket suddenly explodes right before launch

A rocket from aerospace company SpaceX suddenly exploded at the launch pad in Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA before the test launch day, shaking surrounding buildings and creating a column of black smoke into the sky.

According to Reuters, the explosion occurred at 9 a.m. local time yesterday at launch pad 40 that SpaceX leased at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. SpaceX claimed that there were no injuries in the explosion, but an anomaly occurred during a static launch test that destroyed the Falcon 9 rocket.

"Our emergency response teams are responding to the incident," said Cape Canaveral Air Force Station spokesman Bryan Purtell.

Smoke from the explosion blackened the sky. Photo: Reddit.

The explosion was so powerful that it shook buildings within a few kilometres and sent a column of black smoke billowing into the sky. "We really thought the building was collapsing. It shook us so much," said one witness.

SpaceX is scheduled to launch its 29th Falcon 9 rocket early on September 3 local time to deliver Israel's AMOS-6 communications satellite into orbit. Authorities have not yet clarified the extent of the damage or whether the explosion will affect SpaceX and NASA's plans to launch dozens of commercial satellites.

"NASA is still assessing the extent of the damage (if any) the incident will cause to future missions," Reuters quoted NASA spokesman Michael Curie.

SpaceX, an aerospace company founded in 2002 in California and owned by American billionaire Elon Musk, aims to develop reusable rockets and low-cost private space tourism.

SpaceX used a Falcon 9 rocket to deliver cargo to the International Space Station (ISS) in May 2012. The successful test flight marked the first time a private company had flown a spacecraft to the ISS. SpaceX landed a Falcon 9 rocket on a landing pad at sea in December of last year. Since then, SpaceX has had five more rockets safely land.

According to VNE