SpaceX launches Falcon 9 from Cape Canaveral; 'space jellyfish' spotted in Florida sky
ORLANDO, Fla. - SpaceX launched its Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Tuesday, creating a glowing "space jellyfish" in the sky.
The Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 during a one-hour window that opened at 7:04 a.m. EDT.
What is a space jellyfish?
Why you should care:
The so-called space jellyfish effect occurs when sunlight illuminates a rocket's exhaust plume high in the atmosphere, creating a glowing, bulb-shaped cloud that can spread across the sky.
The phenomenon is most visible during launches around dawn, when the ground is still dark, but the rocket has climbed high enough to catch sunlight.
Viewer photos shared with FOX 35 of the "space jellyfish" following NASA's SpaceX CRS-35 mission to the Space Station on Oct. 13, 2026.
How to watch the launch
Watch a replay of the launch in the player below.
SpaceX launches Bandwagon-5 mission from Cape Canaveral
SpaceX launched a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for its Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission.
Mission will carry 32 payloads into orbit
The Bandwagon-5 mission is carrying 32 payloads into orbit, including cubesats, microsatellites and reentry vehicles.
The launch marks the 19th flight of the Falcon 9 first-stage booster. The booster has previously supported several missions, including Crew-9, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, Fram2 and multiple Starlink launches.
Minutes after stage separation, the booster landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by SpaceX.