Jellyfish in the sky: SpaceX launches Falcon 9 Friday from Cape Canaveral, Florida
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rose into the night sky for an on-time liftoff of 8:32 p.m. EDT Friday from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40. Onboard was the next batch of Starlink satellites, Starlink 6-59.
With clear skies, and the sun just below the horizon, conditions were perfect to create a "jellyfish" effect over the Space Coast. Beautiful hues surrounded the rocket as the stages separated. Meanwhile, the last bits of sunlight illuminated the rocket's vapor trail.
The colorful scene was reminiscent of a mission this booster flew in 2021 ? Inspiration4: the first all civilian mission to orbit. That launch, happening just after sunset, also created a "jellyfish" effect.
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SpaceX Falcon 9 booster flies 21 times
After eight-and-a-half minutes into the flight, the booster landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Falcon 9 booster used for Starlink 6-59 had flown 20 previous times. In addition to Inspiration4, it also flew the first Axiom crew (AX-1), which was the first privately organized mission to utilize the International Space Station.
Starliner crewed launch delayed again
Meanwhile, the wait for the first crewed launch of Boeing's Starliner continues. NASA announced Friday that teams are now targeting no earlier than 3:09 p.m. on Saturday, May 25.
During the first launch attempt on May 6, astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams were preparing for launch when crews discovered a "flutter" coming from an oxygen valve on the second stage of the Atlas V rocket.
Upon rolling the rocket back to Vertical Integration Facility to replace the valve, Boeing crews discovered a helium leak coming from the service module, which is the expendable bottom of the Starliner craft containing engines and thrusters. The helium leak was narrowed down to one of the thrusters.
NASA said Friday that the team would need additional time to investigate the helium leak and ensure Starliner is ready for its maiden crewed launch.
Once it completes this Crewed Flight Test, Starliner will fly NASA astronauts alongside SpaceX's Dragon on regular rotations to the space station.
Brooke Edwards is a Space Reporter for Florida Today. Contact her at [email protected] or on X: @brookeofstars.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lights up Florida night with "jellyfish" effect
