Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.

A SpaceX prototype rocket automatically detonated after an "anomaly" was detected during a test flight Friday in McGregor, Texas, the company told NBC News on Friday night. No one was injured.

John Taylor, a spokesman for SpaceX, said the rocket was a three-engine version of the F9R test vehicle, the successor to the company's Grasshopper, a prototype intended to pave the way for fully reusable rockets that would fly themselves back home. It's similar to the Falcon 9, which SpaceX uses to launch unmanned cargo spacecraft to the International Space Station.

Let our news meet your inbox. The news and stories that matters, delivered weekday mornings. This site is protected by recaptcha

RELATED: SpaceX Explosion a Setback, but Ambitious Program Continues

"During the flight, an anomaly was detected in the vehicle and the flight termination system automatically terminated the mission," Taylor said in an email to NBC News. A representative of the Federal Aviation Administration was present, he said.

IN-DEPTH

SOCIAL

Three engine F9R Dev1 vehicle auto-terminated during test flight. No injuries or near injuries. Rockets are tricky … — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 23, 2014

— M. Alex Johnson