TAMPA, Fla. – SpaceX launched 32 payloads into orbit aboard its Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station early Tuesday morning.
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Cape Canaveral morning launch
The backstory:
A Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7:04 a.m. Tuesday from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Skywatchers across the Bay Area spotted a glowing space jellyfish effect high above ground shortly after liftoff. Sunlight struck the expanding exhaust plume while ground observers remained in darkness. The Bandwagon-5 mission carries 32 payloads, including cubesats, microsatellites and reentry vehicles.
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Booster landing plan
Dig deeper:
Tuesday’s launch marked the 19th flight for the Falcon 9 first-stage booster. The booster previously supported Crew-9, Firefly Blue Ghost Mission 1, Fram2 and several Starlink missions. Teams targeted a precision landing on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas in the Atlantic Ocean following stage separation.
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