A SpaceX rocket soared over the Southern California coast after in a night launch that had been delayed by Tropical Storm Hilary.
The Falcon 9 rocket launch, originally set for just after 11 p.m. Monday, was delayed to just after 2:30 a.m. from Vandenberg Space Force Base northwest of Santa Barbara.
The Falcon 9 rocket was scheduled to launch just after midnight Thursday, but the launch and another scheduled for Friday were scrubbed. SpaceX said Hurricane Hilary's impact on recovery of the first-stage booster in the Pacific.
Click the play button below to watch rocket launch.
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The rocket and its exhaust plume are sometimes visible for hundreds of miles as it soars south along the coast, if skies are clear. Launches just after sunset and before sunrise usually provide the best views as the rocket reflects the sun's rays against the backdrop of a darkened sky.
The rocket carried 21 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit. The first stage booster, making its 15th flight, landed on the Of Course I Still Love You droneship stationed in the Pacific Ocean.
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SpaceX has a Starlink constellation of satellites orbiting Earth about 340 miles up, shuttled into space by the company's rockets. The Starlink network is designed to deliver high-speed internet anywhere around the globe.
If light conditions are right, the satellites appear in a train as they parade across the night sky. The satellites are sometimes visible in the first few minutes after sundown and before sunrise when the sun is below the horizon, but the satellites are high enough to reflect direct sunlight.
Use the FindStarlink tracker to find the best upcoming viewing times.
