SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch seen from space (satellite photos)
When you purchase through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.
One of BlackSky’s Gen-3 Earth observation satellites captured this photo of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launching on April 29, 2026. | Credit: BlackSky
SpaceX’s powerful Falcon Heavy rocket flew for the first time in 18 months on Wednesday (April 29), and a sharp-eyed satellite was watching.
THE Heavy Falcon launched from NASA Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida, carrying the ViaSat-3 F3 communications satellite into a geosynchronous transfer orbit.
One of BlackSky’s Gen-3 Earth observation spacecraft chronicled the liftoff, taking a stunning photo of the powerful rocket on the platform and another showing it climbing into the cloudy Florida sky.
A BlackSky Gen-3 satellite captured this photo of SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket on the Kennedy Space Center pad on April 29, 2026. | Credit: BlackSky
“At 7:29 a.m. local time, Gen-3 captured an extreme off-nadir twilight photo of a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket on the pad before catching up with the vehicle in flight again at 10:13 a.m., 38 seconds after launch, while traveling at over 400 miles per hour,” BlackSky wrote in a statement. Wednesday post who shared the images. “With temporally diverse imaging capabilities and flexible imaging modes, Gen-3 detects relevant activity at any time of day. »
BlackSky is developing its Gen-3 constellation in low earth orbithaving launched four spacecraft to date. The satellites are capable of detecting features as small as 13.8 inches (35 centimeters) on the ground, according to BlackSky.
The Falcon Heavy is the second most powerful launcher in service today, behind NASA’s. Space Launch System moon rocket. (from SpaceX Spacecraft is much more powerful than either, but it is still in the development phase.)
Falcon Heavy debuted in February 2018 and now has 12 flights under its belt, all successful. Wednesday’s launch was the rocket’s first since October 2024when she sent the images to NASA Europe Clipper spacecraft to the Jupiter system.
