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Squeezing a sky before sunrise Friday on Florida's Space Coast, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket offered a memorable spectacle when it reached the sunlight, delivering a cargo ship Dragon in orbit during a trip to the International Space Station. The 213-foot (65-meter) rocket took off at 5:42 am EDT (09:42 GMT) Friday from the Cape Canaveral Complex 40 launch area. The Dragon capsule mounted at the top of the rocket was carrying more than 2700 kilos of supplies and experiments, including an AI robotic assistant for the station's team and an NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory instrument designed to study the health and stress of plants.
Friday's launch marked SpaceX's 12th SpaceX mission, and the 57th flight of a Falcon 9 rocket since 2010. It was also the 14th time that SpaceX had reused a rocket booster. first floor, and the fourth time the company was flying The spectacular 'twilight' effect observed on Friday occurs when a rocket takes off shortly before sunrise, or shortly after sunset, when a vehicle of launch is illuminated by sunlight shortly after takeoff. The light amplifies the exhaust plume of the rocket, which develops into a teardrop form in the rarified upper atmosphere.
Read our full story for details on the launch.
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