Credit: SpaceX
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 satellites illuminated the night sky over the Levittown area Sunday.
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The rocket lifted off from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at approximately 9:56 p.m.
By just after 10 p.m., the rocket was visible in the eastern sky from Bucks County.
As the rocket ascended, a plume of exhaust spread as the rocket headed toward space.
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The Falcon 9 was carrying 29 Starlink satellites, which are used to provide global broadband service, according to SpaceX.
The Florida mission happened within hours of a similar launch by SpaceX conducted from California.
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While Florida and Virginia NASA launch sites are hundreds of miles away, sightings of rocket launched above Bucks County have become more frequent in recent years as the volume of missions increases.
Beyond launches, SpaceX’s Starlink and other satellites are also occasionally seen passing over the region at nighttime.
The satellites are part of a growing constellation in low-Earth orbit operated by Starlink. Both SpaceX and Starlink are owned by billionaire Elon Musk and serve as major contractors for the federal government.
