A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a Dragon cargo ship loaded with more than 4,000 pounds of supplies and equipment bound for the International Space Station — including a critical docking adapter needed by future U.S. crew ships — broke apart in a shower of debris shortly after launch Sunday in a major setback for NASA and the California rocket company.

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The next resupply launch to the space station is set for Friday, when a Russian Progress logistics mission is due for liftoff from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan.

A Japanese HTV cargo craft is on track for launch aboard an H-2B rocket on Aug. 16, followed by another Progress flight and a launch of Orbital ATK's Cygnus cargo ship on a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket before the end of the year.

A statement has been released from NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden:

"We are disappointed in the loss of the latest SpaceX cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station. However, the astronauts are safe aboard the station and have sufficient supplies for the next several months. We will work closely with SpaceX to understand what happened, fix the problem and return to flight. The commercial cargo program was designed to accommodate loss of cargo vehicles. We will continue operation of the station in a safe and effective way as we continue to use it as our test bed for preparing for longer duration missions farther into the solar system.

"A Progress vehicle is ready to launch July 3, followed in August by a Japanese HTV flight. Orbital ATK, our other commercial cargo partner, is moving ahead with plans for its next launch later this year.

"SpaceX has demonstrated extraordinary capabilities in its first six cargo resupply missions to the station, and we know they can replicate that success. We will work with and support SpaceX to assess what happened, understand the specifics of the failure and correct it to move forward. This is a reminder that spaceflight is an incredible challenge, but we learn from each success and each setback. Today's launch attempt will not deter us from our ambitious human spaceflight program."

Before today's launch, NASA officials said the space station had sufficient supplies to operate until October without any more cargo deliveries.

The loss of the Dragon supply ship marks the third cargo launch failure in eight months, following the October 2014 crash of an Orbital ATK Antares cargo rocket and the loss of a Russian Progress freighter in April.

An update from Elon Musk via Twitter: There was an overpressure event in the upper stage liquid oxygen tank. Data suggests counterintuitive cause... That's all we can say with confidence right now. Will have more to say following a thorough fault tree analysis."

Elon Musk just tweeted: "Falcon 9 experienced a problem shortly before first stage shutdown. Will provide more info as soon as we review the data."

Anomaly teams are evaluating the possible cause of the Falcon 9 launch failure, which occurred just before the planned shutdown and separation of the rocket's first stage.

The Falcon 9 rocket appeared to explode in a ball of debris about 2 minutes and 20 seconds after liftoff from Cape Canaveral.

FAILURE. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket has disintegrated in the sky over Cape Canaveral!

T+plus 2 minutes. Now soaring at an altitude of more than 20 miles, the Falcon 9 rocket's first stage will shut down and jettison in about one minute.

And chilldown of the second stage's vacuum-rated Merlin 1D engine has started in preparation for its ignition.

T+plus 1 minute. The Falcon 9 rocket is approaching the speed of sound and the phase of maximum aerodynamic pressure.

T+plus 20 seconds. The Falcon 9 rocket's pitch program has initiated to put the 208-foot-tall rocket on an northeasterly trajectory from Cape Canaveral.

LIFTOFF of the Falcon 9, boosting a delivery of more than 2 tons of supplies to restock the International Space Station and demonstrating new rocket technologies.

T-minus 60 seconds. In the final minute of the countdown, the flight computer will command checks of the first stage Merlin engine steering system and the Falcon 9 propellant tanks will be pressurized for flight. Thousands of gallons of water from the 53 water nozzles on ground facility's Niagara system will also be dumped onto the launch pad deck to suppress the sound and acoustics of liftoff.

The command to start the ignition sequence for the first stage will be issued at T-minus 3 seconds, triggering the Merlin engines' ignitor moments before the powerplants actually ramp up to full power.

T-minus 90 seconds and counting. The SpaceX launch director and the Air Force Eastern Range have given their final approvals for liftoff of the Falcon 9 rocket at 10:21 a.m. EDT (1421 GMT).

T-minus 2 minutes and counting. The rocket's Merlin 1D engines have been chilled down for ignition.

T-minus 2 minutes, 30 seconds. The strongback has been locked in to launch position.

T-minus 3 minutes and counting. The rocket's destruct system is on internal power and being armed, and liquid oxygen topping is being terminated.

The strongback has retracted into the launch position more than 20 degrees from the rocket.

The second stage thrust vector steering system has checked out and is ready for flight.

T-minus 5 minutes and counting. The cradles connecting the strongback to the Falcon 9 rocket have opened.

T-minus 6 minutes and counting. The Falcon 9 rocket is now operating on internal power.

The strongback umbilical tower will soon be lowered a few degrees to clear the rocket for launch. The procedure begins with opening of cradles gripping the rocket at attach points, then hydraulics lower the tower into launch position.

T-minus 6 minutes, 30 seconds. The Falcon 9's heaters are being deactivated, and the rocket will be transitioned to internal power in a few seconds.

T-minus 7 minutes and counting. Within the next minute, the Falcon 9's flight computer will be commanded to its alignment state. The Merlin engine pumps are continuing to chill down.

T-minus 8 minutes and counting. Good chilldown continues on the first stage engines, and closeouts of the upper stage's gaseous nitrogen attitude control system are underway.

T-minus 9 minutes, 30 seconds. Prevalves leading to the Falcon 9's Merlin 1D first stage engines are opening, permitting super-cold liquid oxygen to flow into the engines to condition the turbopumps for ignition.

T-minus 10 minutes and counting. The terminal countdown autosequence has started. Any hold after this point will result in an automatic abort and recycle to T-minus 13 minutes.

T-minus 12 minutes. The launch team has verified all consoles are go for liftoff at 10:21:11 a.m. EDT (1421:11 GMT).

The terminal countdown autosequence is about to begin at the T-minus 10 minute mark.

T-minus 15 minutes and counting. Here are some statistics on today's launch:

• 19th launch of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010
• 24th launch of Falcon rocket family since 2006
• 18th Falcon 9 launch from Cape Canaveral
• 14th launch of a Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket
• 13th Falcon 9 v1.1 launch from Cape Canaveral
• 5th launch of a Dragon on a Falcon 9 v1.1 rocket
• 8th SpaceX mission to the space station
• 11th Falcon 9 day launch
• 6th Falcon 9 launch of 2015
• 9th flight of a Dragon spacecraft
• 10th launch from Cape Canaveral in 2015

T-minus 17 minutes and counting. The Falcon 9 rocket stands 208 feet tall and measures 12 feet in diameter. At liftoff, its nine Merlin 1D first stage engines will generate about 1.3 million pounds of thrust.

Fully fueled for launch, the Falcon 9 contains about 1.05 million pounds of kerosene and liquid oxygen propellants.

T-minus 20 minutes and counting. The final poll of SpaceX's launch team will begin at T-minus 13 minutes before the countdown enters the final phase.

The launch vehicle is reported ready to proceed with the terminal countdown.

See our Facebook page for images of today's countdown and launch!

Liquid oxygen topping continues on the Falcon 9 rocket's first and second stages.

T-minus 30 minutes. At the time of launch, the International Space Station will be flying about 260 miles above the Syrian-Turkish border.

Linkup with the complex is scheduled at 7 a.m. EDT (1100 GMT) Tuesday, when astronaut Scott Kelly will grapple the Dragon spacecraft with the space station's robotic arm.

Near-ideal weather is expected for this morning's launch at 10:21:11 a.m. EDT (1421:11 GMT). Favorable winds of 10 to 15 mph and a few clouds are predicted at launch time.

All weather constraints are currently observed go, and the Air Force weather officer predicts a less than 1 percent chance of violating one of the weather rules at liftoff time.

Radio checks between the rocket and the Air Force's Eastern Range, along with first motion checks, have been completed as planned. The launch team also is completing a test of the Falcon 9 rocket's destruct mechanisms.

The launcher's on-board power systems will be activated around 8:51 a.m. EDT (1251 GMT).