SpaceX Launch Creates Glowing 'Jellyfish' in Dawn Sky

Although the sight may have startled anyone not expecting it, Space.com stressed that there was nothing dangerous about it. According to NASA (the National Aeronautics and Space Administration), the glow was produced by sunlight striking the rocket's exhaust plume. As a rocket climbs, its engines release water vapour and carbon dioxide, and in the frigid upper atmosphere these gases rapidly freeze into ice crystals that trail behind it. When a launch takes place around dawn or dusk, sunlight reaches this high-altitude plume while the ground and lower sky remain largely dark, creating the striking effect. Such displays are particularly associated with Falcon 9 launches, which SpaceX carries out roughly every two to three days from its main sites in Florida and California.

The launch itself began the 35th cargo mission SpaceX has flown to the International Space Station (ISS) under its Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) contract with NASA, a mission known as CRS-35. The robotic Dragon capsule is carrying thousands of pounds of supplies; under the contract, such deliveries typically include food, clothing, medical supplies and scientific experiments. Fox Weather, citing SpaceX, described a 52-hour journey to the station, while Space.com reported that the capsule was due to dock automatically with the station's Harmony module at around 11 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) on Thursday, 15 October. Fox Weather added that the mission is expected to be completed in November.