Viera, Florida – A timelapse filmed by Pete Carstens on the morning of March 4, 2026, shows the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the Starlink 10-40 mission creating a striking “space jellyfish” effect in the sky above Viera, Florida.

The footage opens on a predawn sky as the rocket’s bright orange flame streaks upward. The exhaust quickly expands into a glowing, ethereal plume, forming a dome-like structure with vapor tendrils trailing downward in shades of pink, orange, and white.

As the timelapse progresses, the plume swells and morphs into the full “jellyfish” shape. Sunlight refracts through the high-altitude exhaust while the ground remains dark, producing the luminous effect visible across Florida and parts of southern Georgia.

The video captures the formation evolving over several minutes, with wispy tendrils curling and slowly dissipating as the rocket climbs higher, creating a mesmerizing display in the sky.

The Starlink 10-40 mission successfully deployed 29 satellites to orbit, but the timelapse filmed by Carstens highlights the dramatic visual spectacle of the launch.

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