SpaceX rocket explodes during test two days before launch

A Falcon-9 rocket from Elon Musk’s American space company SpaceX exploded during a test on Thursday afternoon. The rocket’s launch was scheduled for next Saturday.

The rocket would launch an Amos 6 communications satellite from Israel’s Spacecom into orbit. The accident probably happened during a static fire test, de Volkskrant writes. The static fire test is a test in which technicians check whether all systems of a rocket are working by switching on the engines once.

No injuries were reported in the explosion, SpaceX said. The rocket and on board present satellite should be considered lost. The explosion took place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in the US state of Florida.