Mars will have to wait a while longer before the planet receives its next unmanned spacecraft from Earth.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 Reusable (F9R) rocket launched outside McGregor, Texas on Aug. 22. Twenty seconds later it fell back to earth in a ball of fire over an open field.
The "flight termination system automatically terminated the mission" due to a system glitch, SpaceX said in a statement. The space transport services company, founded by Elon Musk, is slated to go over the flight data to determine what failed in the three-engine rocket.
Bystanders on nearby roads caught the explosive lift-off on their cellphone cameras. The rocket flew straight before disappearing briefly, becoming a giant fireball against the clear blue sky.
The Falcon 9 uses a special landing gear, four legs that stick out like an insect, to set down softly on the Mars surface, according to CNN. The spacecraft also stays in one piece, allowing it to return to the launch pad in the same format it took off.
Each rocket cost almost $54 million, but its reusability will "cut space flight costs enormously," SpaceX said. Musk's company, along with Blue Origin, The Boeing Co. and Sierra Nevada Corporation have partnered with NASA to "develop a new generation of save, reliable and cost-effective crew space transportation systems to low-Earth orbit," according to a NASA news release this month.
The failed launch in Texas delayed takeoff for another SpaceX ship sitting on the launch pad at Cape Canaveral in Florida, according to Florida Today. The company moved the launch of the AsiaSat 6 commercial communications satellite from Tuesday to early Wednesday.
"We are taking some additional time to review the circumstances that caused the test vehicle to auto terminate to confirm that there is not a risk to orbital flight," said SpaceX spokesman John Taylor in a statement.
Weather will also factor into the Florida flight. The local forecast predicts a 60 percent chance of favorable conditions on Wednesday, but a tropical storm could develop in the meantime, according to Florida Today.
"The weather at launch time will likely be dependent on the exact track, intensity, size and speed of this system," stated a report released by the Air Force's 45th Weather Squadron on Saturday.
