SpaceX's latest rocket exploded during testing at Cape Canaveral on Thursday. The rocket was scheduled to launch this coming Saturday.
The rocket also carried Facebook's Internet.org satellite, which aimed to provide internet access to rural and remote areas of Africa.
“SpaceX conducted a static fire test today in preparation for a prototype launch. There was an anomaly resulting in the loss of the vehicle and its payload. This was a standard procedure, and there were no injuries,” SpaceX said in a statement.
Facebook, for its part, has not announced anything official about the loss of the AMOS-6 satellite.
Facebook is partnering with France's Eutelsat to lease space in space. The project will cost $95 million over the next five years.
The AMOS-6 satellite could cover large parts of West, East and Southern Africa.
