If you were up early this morning you may have noticed a strange sight in the sky. It wasn’t a UFO, it was SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn rising into the sky. This picture was taken at 5:00AM Tuesday morning from Lambertville. While the SpaceX Falcon 9 took off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, it lit up the sky across the East Coast.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 Tuesday morning, deploying 20 new Starlink internet satellites into orbit. Notably, 13 of these satellites are equipped with Direct-to-Cell technology, aimed at extending mobile Starlink connectivity to users around the globe. The launch, which experienced multiple delays before takeoff, had its liftoff time adjusted three times. Although the specific reasons for these delays were not disclosed, radar observations indicated some weather activity over the Atlantic Ocean.
Following the launch, the rocket’s landing trail provided a rare and spectacular sight. Illuminated by the dawn light, the trail remained visible for over an hour. This mission marked the 16th flight of this particular Falcon 9 rocket, which has previously carried out 10 Starlink missions.
