Explosion rocks SpaceX launch pad in Florida during test

(AP) — A massive explosion rocked a SpaceX launch pad Thursday during a routine rocket test for a planned weekend launch.

The company was conducting a test firing of its unmanned Falcon rocket when the blast occurred shortly after 9 a.m. The test was in advance of a planned Saturday launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, which is next to NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

SpaceX said that in preparation for Thursday's engine firing — a test carried out a few days before every launch — "there was an anomaly on the pad resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its payload."

The explosion is a major blow for SpaceX — and also for NASA, which relies on the company to keep the space station equipped with food, science experiments and other supplies.

The California-based company, led by billionaire Elon Musk, had been ramping up with frequent launches to make up for a backlog created by a launch accident in June 2015.