--- title: "Passenger Jet Flies Over Launchpad Right as SpaceX Rocket Takes Off" description: "Passengers on board a commercial jet flying over Florida's Cape Canaveral were able to spot a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off in the distance." date: "2022-11-28" modified: "2022-11-28" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/jet-launchpad-spacex-rocket-takes-off" categories: - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "falcon 9" - "NASA" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # Passenger Jet Flies Over Launchpad Right as SpaceX Rocket Takes Off ![Passengers on board a commercial jet flying over Florida's Cape Canaveral were able to spot a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off in the distance.]() *\Image: Nick Leimbach\* ## World Class View Passengers on board a United Airlines commercial jet flying over Florida's Cape Canaveral were able to spot an amazingly rare sight in the distance: a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifting off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, far below. The [video](), shared by *NBC* photojournalist Nick Leimbach, shows the tiny white rocket blasting off and gaining altitude at a dazzling rate, leaving behind a massive cloud of dust and vapor — an angle that puts the incredible spectacle into perspective. "One of the coolest things I've ever seen," Leimbach wrote. https://twitter.com/nleimbach/status/1596587314113048576 ## Right Time, Right Place The flight [took off]() from Dulles International airport in Washington, DC at 12:25 pm and landed roughly 3.5 hours later in George Town in the Cayman Islands. Its flight path perfectly crossed NASA's Kennedy Space Center, at just the right moment. SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket [took off]() from Launch Complex 39A at 2:20 pm local time, with an uncrewed Dragon spacecraft in tow, carrying supplies and equipment to the International Space Station. Among the supplies is the [Moon Microscope](), a tiny device meant to allow astronauts to collect blood samples and analyze them with a hand-held device. The goal is to provide future astronauts with a tool to diagnose blood samples on the surface of the Moon or Mars. It's not everyday passengers on a commercial airliner are able to behold such an amazing sight. Though given Leimbach's profession, there's a good chance it wasn't entirely a coincidence he was at the right place at the right time. **More on SpaceX:** *[Twitter Claims Video of Moon Rocket Launch Is Revenge Porn]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()