Florida SpaceX launch creates ‘space jellyfish’ effect in sky

Falcon 9 rocket carried 53 Starlink satellites

A SpaceX launch sent another batch of internet satellites into space early Friday, this time creating a “space jellyfish” effect in the sky.

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – A SpaceX launch sent another batch of internet satellites into low-Earth orbit early Friday, this time creating a “space jellyfish” effect in the sky.

The Falcon 9 rocket carrying 53 Starlink satellites took off from Kennedy Space Center at 5:42 a.m.

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Minutes after the rocket launched, a large bright bulb formed in the sky known as the “space jellyfish” effect. The effect is produced by the rocket’s exhaust plume high in the atmosphere before the sun rises, according to Florida Today.

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This launch came hours after four astronauts splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico.

The Crew-3 team, comprised of NASA astronauts Raja Chari, Tom Marshburn and Kayla Barron, and European Space Agency astronaut Matthias Maurer, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket back in November 2021 and spent six months at the International Space Station conducting science experiments and doing maintenance.

Hours after four astronauts returned to Earth from the International Space Station, SpaceX successfully launched 53 Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center before sunrise Friday.

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SpaceX launched 53 Starlink satellites from Kennedy Space Center early Friday.

About the Author:

Brenda Argueta is a digital journalist who joined ClickOrlando.com in March 2021. She graduated from UCF and returned to Central Florida after working in Colorado.