KODAK, Tenn. (WATE) — Early risers in East Tennessee may have caught a glimpse of vapor trails behind SpaceX’s Flacon 9 launch Saturday morning. While the launch happened in Florida, a camera captured the event in Kodak.
At approximately 5:08 a.m., vapor trails from the SpaceX Flacon 9 could be seen in East Tennessee’s clear, early morning sky.
Death investigator saves life of person wrongly believed to be dead in Knoxville
SpaceX’s website states that Falcon 9 was launched to a low-Earth orbit from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida for a Starlink mission at 5:01 a.m. On board the rocket, there were 28 Starlink satellites.
In Kodak, TN, a photo captured a vapor trail from a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida on July 26, 2025. (Gradye Parsons)The launch early Saturday marks the start of Falcon 9’s 22nd flight. Previously, the orbital class rocket with reflight capabilities has launched Crew-6, SES O3b mPOWER-B, USSF-124, Bluebird 1-5, and18 Starlink missions SpaceX reported.
Drowning victim identified after body recovered from Cherokee Lake
According to NASA, contrails, which are also known as vapor trails, are a type of ice cloud formed by aircrafts when water vapor condenses around small dust particles.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WATE 6 On Your Side.
