Live coverage: Falcon 9 disintegrates after launch

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched at 4:25 p.m. EST (2125 GMT) on 31 January from Cape Canaveral with the GovSat 1 communications satellite.

Nine Merlin main engines at the base of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fired at launch pad 39A Saturday, passing a major test before the company’s next launch, a secretive mission slated for liftoff Wednesday night.

An accident Saturday during an abort engine test on a Crew Dragon test vehicle at Cape Canaveral sent a reddish-orange plume into the sky visible for miles around, a setback for SpaceX and NASA as teams prepare the capsule for its first mission with astronauts.