Florida: SpaceX rocket explodes at Cape Canaveral ahead of launch
According to reports, the force of the blast of the rocket shook buildings several miles away.
The explosion also sent a plume of smoke high above the complex.
During the blast, the rocket's payload, a communications satellite due to launch on Saturday, was also destroyed.
"Facebook, in partnership with Eutelsat Communications, had been due to use the Israeli-built Amos-6 satellite to deliver broadband internet coverage for swathes of sub-Saharan Africa as part of its Internet.org initiative," BBC reported.
Following the incident, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said: "As I'm here in Africa, I'm deeply disappointed to hear that SpaceX's launch failure destroyed our satellite that would have provided connectivity to so many entrepreneurs and everyone else across the continent."
"Fortunately, we have developed other technologies like Aquila that will connect people as well. We remain committed to our mission of connecting everyone, and we will keep working until everyone has the opportunities this satellite would have provided," his statement claimed.
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