VIDEO: SpaceX satellite spotted over East Tennessee after launch

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Early risers in East Tennessee may have spotted what looked like a meteor entering the atmosphere Wednesday morning, but in reality, they actually saw a satellite launch.

SpaceX launched the Falcon 9 rocket at 4:55 a.m. on Wednesday, carrying 20 Starlink satellites, from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, according to the company’s website.

The more than 603-ton Falcon 9 is the first orbital class rocket that is capable of re-flight, SpaceX and NASA confirm.

Viewers John Staton in Kodak and Micah Ezzell in Loudon captured the spacecraft crossing the sky on video around the same time. Independent site Find Starlink, confirmed that there was a satellite chain visible from East Tennessee around 5:28 a.m. Wednesday morning.

According to SpaceX, the launch on Wednesday was the 16th flight for the first stage booster that was used, which had previously launched the SES-22, ispace’s HAKUTO-R MISSION 1, Amazonas-6, CRS-27, Bandwagon-1, and now 11 Starlink missions.

This is not the first time a SpaceX space craft has been spotted above East Tennessee. Last summer, a Starlink satellite train was spotted as a line of lights moving in coordination across the sky.’

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