Was it a bird? A plane? Aliens?
None of the above.
The bright light that wowed Virgin Islanders on the night of Monday February 27th was in fact a front row seat to the launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, carrying a new batch of Starlink Satellites into orbit.
While the light show became visible across the Northern Caribbean after 7 pm that night, the 230 foot rocket carrying the 21 “V2 Mini” satellites blasted off from SpaceX’s Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida about an hour earlier.
As the rocket shot across the sky, it gave an impressive show. Brightening the night sky, providing onlookers rare, unexpected visuals and flawlessly performing its intended task.
Its first stage boosters are said to have landed on a designated platform in the Atlantic Ocean.
There is possibility of a similar display in a matter of weeks as SpaceX could attempt to launch its new generation Starship rocket, with nearly 10 times the payload lift capability of Monday’s Falcon 9 rocket, for the first time.
Timelines for that launch are reportedly tentative given developmental delays faced by the program.