UPDATE 4:54 P.M. EST: NBC News revealed new close-up footage of the moment the rocket went up in flames, sharing a GIF of the striking explosion on Twitter:
Watch the SpaceX rocket explode on its launchpad in Cape Canaveral https://t.co/sRapruPY2R pic.twitter.com/rGNAjpWWKN
— NBC News (@NBCNews) September 1, 2016
Click the link (above) to see the full video.
Thank goodness no one was hurt!
A SpaceX rocket exploded on the launchpad at the Kennedy Space Center on Thursday morning!
The incident occurred at about 9 a.m. at Space Launch Complex 40 at the test site located in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Realted: Josh Gad Tweeted From Inside LAX During Shooter Scare!
The SpaceX Falcon 9 was preparing for its ninth launch to carry a Spacecom communications satellite into orbit over the equator — the launch, scheduled for Saturday, was under contract from NASA.
According to witnesses, the explosion “shook” the entire building, and everyone at the Kennedy Space Center is “terrified,” with sources sharing on Twitter:
Wow, SpaceX rocket just blew up on pad. Shook our whole bldg. pic.twitter.com/PMxZA4v4IV
— SpaceCoastTiger (@TigernBear) September 1, 2016
My source is back at their desk now at Kennedy but everyone is shook. Everyone was “terrified”
— Robin Seemangal (@nova_road) September 1, 2016
Hours after the incident, SpaceX released a statement about the “anomaly,” tweeting:
Statement on this morning’s anomaly pic.twitter.com/3Xm2bRMS7T
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) September 1, 2016
NASA spokesperson Al Feinberg said that emergency personnel were monitoring the air quality for any potential threats to employees. County emergency personnel confirmed there is “no threat” to the general public, posting:
There is NO threat to general public from catastrophic abort during static test fire at SpaceX launch pad at CCAFS this morning.
— Brevard EOC (@BrevardEOC) September 1, 2016
Thankfully, no one was injured– but this is still absolutely terrifying!
[Image via NASA.]
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