The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft stood ready for launch at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on June 28, 2015
Space X Falcon 9 rocket could be seen exploding and small pieces tumbling back towards Earth
The Dragon cargo ship was carrying 4,000 pounds (1,800 kilograms) of gear to the space station, including a large parking space, known as an International Docking Adaptor
The disaster was the first of its kind for the California-based company headed by Internet entrepreneur Elon Musk, who has led a series of successful launches even as competitor Orbital Sciences lost one of its rockets in an explosion in October,
The capsule blasted off at 10:21 am (1421 GMT) from Cape Canaveral, Florida, atop the Falcon 9 rocket
The rocket carrying supplies to the International Space Station broke apart shortly after liftoff
SpaceX launch ends in failure, Falcon 9 rocket breaks apart