Mysterious object in southern Nevada skies revealed as SpaceX launch
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Many in the Las Vegas valley reported seeing a mysterious object in the skies and a smoke trail Sunday evening. It was a mystery that was quickly solved.
The streaking light and smoke trail caught the attention of many in the Las Vegas valley Sunday evening, with many emailing the 8newsnow.com studio asking what the object was.
“I have a video I took tonight of an unknown object flying across the sky with what appears to be smoke of some sort trailing behind it,” said one reader, adding that the incident occurred around 9 p.m.
“My son was out swimming in our Green Valley neighborhood and saw this strange light in the sky,” said another.
On X, the National Weather Service in Las Vegas weighed in, revealing that the mysterious object was a rocket that had been launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in Santa Barbara County, California.
“Did anyone else see the rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base,” NWS Las Vegas said in an X post, along with a video of the rocket sailing through the sunset skies of southern Nevada.
According to 8 News Now sister station Fox 5 San Diego, SpaceX launched 20 Starlink satellites Sunday, part of a Falcon 9 rocket launch. The liftoff took place at 8:47 p.m. and was streamed live on the company’s social media platforms and website.
Fox 5 San Diego reports that the launch represents the 11th flight for the first stage booster supporting this Starlink mission.
In addition to being visible in the Las Vegas valley, the rocket launch was also reportedly seen across Southern California, as far south as Ensenada, Mexico.
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