Another SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket got off the ground early Wednesday from Florida’s Space Coast.
But this was no run-of-the-mill rocket launch for SpaceX, the commercial spaceflight company founded by billionaire Elon Musk.
Not only did the rocket, standing at 230 feet tall, chart an unusual flight path along the East Coast, but its expanding exhaust plume created a spectacular “jellyfish” effect colorfully illuminating the predawn sky.
As for the mission itself, the Falcon 9 rocket helped to deliver another batch of SpaceX’s Starlink broadcast internet satellites to its massive constellation in space near Earth’s atmosphere.
Want to learn more about the latest Florida rocket launch from the Space Coast? Here’s everything to know.
Was there a Florida rocket launch today? SpaceX delivers Starlink satellites
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket got off the ground at 5:52 a.m. ET Wednesday, March 4 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
The 230-foot two-stage rocket, one of the most active in the world, then delivered 29 of the company’s Starlink broadband internet satellites to low-Earth orbit, which is much closer to Earth’s atmosphere than other orbits.
The Falcon 9 first-stage booster wrapped up its flight by landing minutes later, around 6 a.m., aboard the SpaceX drone ship nicknamed A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
SpaceX Falcon 9 launch creates ‘jellyfish’ effect
The launch created a stunning effect in the sky commonly referred to as a “space jellyfish.”
If you see the phenomenon, it’ll be clear how it got its name. As for how the visual is created, the effect occurs when a launch is illuminated by the sun hitting the rocket’s contrail – or plume of exhaust – while an observer is in relative local darkness, spaceflight photographer John Kraus has explained.
FLORIDA TODAY space reporter Brooke Edwards captured an image of the Falcon 9’s visual “jellyfish effect” in the sky minutes after liftoff.
Cape Canaveral rocket launch this morning is 2nd along East Coast this week
The rocket was the first Florida launch since another SpaceX rocket traveled on a northeast trajectory that made the Falcon 9 visible across a wide stretch of the United States.
Launching around 10 p.m. ET Sunday, March 1, the Falcon 9 was carrying another 29 Starlink satellites for delivery to SpaceX’s massive constellation in low-Earth orbit. Because of the trajectory, the rocket was seen in North Florida. the Carolinas and up to Philadelphia, Boston and beyond.
The most recent mission from Cape Canaveral had a similar flight path that many along the East Coast could have witnessed, but the overnight launch window likely hindered would-be spectators.
When is the next Florida rocket launch?
The early morning launch was the 16th in Florida of 2026, and plenty more missions are ahead following a year in which the Space Coast hosted a record-shattering 109 orbital rocket launches in 2025.
Up next, SpaceX will serve as the launch service provider for a mission known as Echostar XXV. The company’s Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch as early Monday, March 9 from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on a mission to deliver a direct broadcast satellite to geosynchronous orbit, which matches Earth’s 24-hour rotation.
Eric Lagatta is the Space Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at elagatta@usatodayco.com. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Was there a rocket launch this morning? Falcon 9 seen along East Coast
Reporting by Eric Lagatta and Rick Neale, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Florida Today
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
