SpaceX Falcon Heavy Launch Creates Amber Smoke Cloud Over Florida

A man in Melbourne, Florida, captured detailed footage of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy launch from the Kennedy Space Center on Sunday, January 15.

Video by Robert Sedlacko shows a thick trail of amber smoke as the rocket soars skyward. Later in the footage, the rocket’s two side boosters detach, creating mesmerizing shapes in the sky.

US media reported the rocket was delivering a military communications satellite, along with a maneuverable payload carrier hosting five classified technology demonstration packages, to orbit for the US military.

SpaceX said the USSF-67 mission “was the second launch and landing of these Falcon Heavy side boosters.” Credit: Robert Sedlacko via Storyful

Video transcript

ROBERT SEDLACKO: South.

- Where is it going?

ROBERT SEDLACKO: It's going to go into orbit. But it's going south. Look at the cloud that it made.

- Yeah, that's cool.

ROBERT SEDLACKO: The cloud looks looks-- look at the colors. Oof. All right, here we go.

It's going to separate. The booster's going to separate soon. We've got sound.

[NO SPEECH]

I think the booster just came off. There you go.

[NO SPEECH]

Yep. There are the boosters coming back. See the two little red--

- Yeah.

ROBERT SEDLACKO: The two little lights coming back down? Those are the boosters that are going to return.

[NO SPEECH]

- Very interesting.

ROBERT SEDLACKO: Yeah.

[NO SPEECH]

- But it looks like it's going down. Is it still going up?

ROBERT SEDLACKO: Yes. But it has to break the gravity of the Earth. So that's why it goes that way. And look. See the two boosters are flying back to the Cape.

This is a good one. I like the nebulas on the booster end. This is one of the better ones I've seen.