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SpaceX Launch Creates Stunning 'Space Jellyfish' in Florida

3/6/2026

Summary

Story summary

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 4, 2026, at about 5:43 a.m. ET.
The launch produced a "space jellyfish," a cloud-like formation created when sunlight reflects off the rocket's exhaust in the upper atmosphere, especially at sunrise.
Observers across Florida, including Pensacola and Tampa Bay, saw the jellyfish-like cloud shortly after liftoff.

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Story summary

Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) launched a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida on March 4, 2026, at about 5:43 a.m. ET.
The launch produced a "space jellyfish," a cloud-like formation created when sunlight reflects off the rocket's exhaust in the upper atmosphere, especially at sunrise.
Observers across Florida, including Pensacola and Tampa Bay, saw the jellyfish-like cloud shortly after liftoff.