You had to be up really early (or really late) to see it, but the gift of this dreamy view was worth getting up (or staying up) for.
In this striking Photo of the Week by FLORIDA TODAY visual journalist Craig Bailey, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying three AST SpaceMobile Bluebird satellites, climbs through clouds after launching at 2:39 a.m. June 17.
The textures and colors of Bailey’s capture provide a definite and powerful payoff for Space Coast skywatchers.
And given the frequency of local launches, it could be hard to go for something different.
That’s never a problem for Bailey, whose decades-long experience with training an eye on the sky gives him a vantage point in more ways than one.
“I’m always looking for something different when photographing the many launches we have along the Space Coast,” Bailey said.
“Clouds sometimes provide unexpected opportunities. High clouds had just about completely cleared from the skies over the Cape at launch time but there were still a few along the launch path.”
And in this case, they helped put on quite the show.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Falcon 9 rocket powers through colorful clouds in vivid Photo of Week
Reporting by Britt Kennerly, Florida Today / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Britt Kennerly, Florida Today | USA TODAY Network
