SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Seen as Far as Seattle

SpaceX's Starlink launch caused a stir in Seattle after onlookers saw a mysterious stream of light appeared in the night sky on Tuesday, leaving locals to question what it was.

Many took to Twitter to share clips of the unidentified object, only to find out that it is the Falcon 9, launched in Florida carrying 60 Starlink satellites.

SpaceX's Latest Launch Puts 60 Starlink Satellites Into Orbit

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 60 Starlink satellites launched into orbit at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Tuesday, May 4, at 3:01 p.m. EDT.

The launch was also in time for the celebration of Star Wars Day (aka "May 4"), as it pays homage to the iconic Millennium Falcon to which the Falcon 9 is named after.

According to Space.com's Tuesday, May 4 report, the Falcon 9 had successfully stuck its landing at sea nine minutes after liftoff, marking its ninth successful landing.

The latest feat marks the 13th SpaceX launch in 2021 and Starlink's 26th satellite batch as it aims to bring more than 1,400 broadband satellites in low-Earth orbit this year.

Starlink had been working to put as many broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit to fulfill its promise to provide fast and reliable internet across the globe.

To make this vision into reality, SpaceX requested permission to put in 30,000 Starlink satellites on top of the 12,000 already approved by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC), SpaceNews revealed in October 2019.

Seattle Residents Witness SpaceX's Falcon 9 Launch

Falcon 9's launch was seen as far as Seattle, Washington, with some reported the sighting in Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday, May 4 evening.

Some onlookers inquired about the mysterious light seen in Seattle's night sky on Twitter, without knowing that it was the Falcon 9.

Dr. James Davenport, an assistant professor in the Astronomy Department at the University of Washington, took it upon himself to answer the questions.

"What we actually saw was the 60 Starlink satellites that had just been deployed this afternoon and they were still in low orbit, and they were still clustered together so we call this like the Starlink train," he said. "You see like a little chain of satellites all close together reflecting sunlight back at us."

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Written by Leigh Mercer