Two days before its scheduled launch, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and its commercial satellite payload, which Facebook planned to use to beam Internet connectivity, exploded today on the launch pad.

The explosion occurred at 9:07 a.m. ET as SpaceX was testing its engines as part of the preparations for the Saturday morning launch. The rocket and satellite were sitting on the launch pad at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida.

The vehicle and its entire payload were lost.

Facebook had planned to use the satellite as part of its project to beam Internet connectivity to parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

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