A SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Eclipse at Sunset

A SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Eclipse at Sunset

Shockwaves ripple across the glare as a launch eclipses the setting Sun in this exciting close-up. Captured on September 17, 2024, the roaring SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried European Galileo L13 navigation satellites to medium Earth orbit after lift-off from Cape Canaveral on Florida's space coast. The Falcon 9 booster returned safely to Earth about 8.5 minutes later, notching the 22nd launch and landing for this reusable workhorse launch vehicle. 

This first stage booster previously launched CRS-22, Crew-3, Turksat 5B, Crew-4, CRS-25, Eutelsat HOTBIRD 13G, O3B mPOWER, PSN SATRIA, Telkomsat Marah Putih 2, and 12 Starlink missions.

Learn more about Europe's Galileo: The world's first civilian Earth satellite navigation system:

https://www.esa.int/Applications/Satellite_navigation/Galileo/GIOVE-B_launch/What_is_Galileo

Image Credit & Copyright: Ben Cooper

Ben's website: http://www.launchphotography.com

Caption Credit: NASA Goddard

Release Date: Sept. 28, 2024

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