Failed Russian Rocket Launch Ends With Explosive Fireball [VIDEO]

The launch of an unmanned Russian rocket failed Tuesday morning after the space-bound projectile's main engine malfunctioned, causing the projectile to nearly upend itself before falling back to Earth and exploding in a huge fireball.

No casualties or damage in surrounding settlements were reported as a result of the Proton-M rocket exploding, but Russian media reports indicate the explosion created a cloud of poisonous smoke generated by the rocket's highly toxic heptyl propellant. Rains around the area would likely eliminate the toxic clouds from affecting the town of Baikonur 38 miles away from the launch site in Kazakhstan, Reuters reported, citing the head of Kazakhstan's space agency.

Because of contamination, work at the Baikonur space center will likely be suspended for months, Russian news outlet RIA Novosti reported.

Video of the failed launch, which occurred just after 8:38 a.m. local time, shows the 17-story rocket slightly wavering as it becomes airborne before rotating clockwise and breaking apart, catching fire in the moments before it slams back to the ground in a pyroclastic finale of flames and back smoke.

The Russian rocket carried three Glonass navigation satellites reportedly worth $200 million.

Proton rockets used to send satellites into orbit have failed before, including a 2010 crash that also destroyed three satellites. The most recent failure was in December 2012 when the Proton rocket launched communications satellites into the wrong orbit, according to Space.com.

The rocket system's design is of the Cold War era, when the system was originally conceived, though never deployed, as an intercontinental ballistic missile to carry a nuclear warhead targeted for the United States, Reuters reported.