Mysterious object with tadpole-shaped smoke trail identified as rocket

June 24 (UPI) -- A mysterious object that streaked across the Las Vegas-area sky, leaving a tadpole-shaped smoke trail in its wake, was identified as a SpaceX rocket.

Numerous residents of southern Nevada reported seeing the object streaking across the sky Sunday evening and questioned what it could be.

"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," a resident said in an email to KLAS-TV.

The National Weather Service's Las Vegas office said on social media that the object was a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Starlink satellites into orbit.

The rocket was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California.

Some viewers said a second object seen in a video shared by NWS appeared to be interacting with the rocket, but the NWS said in a follow-up tweet that the second light was an aircraft that took off from Runway 26 at Harry Reid International Airport and turned north.

The rocket launched 20 Starlink satellites into orbit -- sparking further UFO reports in Malta, where residents could see lights in the sky from the satellites that were heading toward orbit.