Photos: SpaceX rocket launch over Phoenix captivates Valley

The spectacular display in the nighttime skies over the Valley was anything but ordinary.

June 17, 2025

Image: A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on Monday was visible over the Phoenix area.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on Monday was visible over the Phoenix area. Shawn McCormick

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The skies over Arizona were lit up in spectacular fashion last night, thanks to the latest SpaceX rocket launch. The dazzling display, which occurred in the early evening, saw a glowing plume streaking through the darkness with an illuminated white trail that looked like something straight out of a sci-fi dream.

On Monday night, the Falcon 9 rocket blasted off from Vandenberg Space Force Base near Santa Barbara, California, at approximately 8:26 p.m. Arizona time. According to the SpaceX website, the craft contained a payload of 26 Starlink satellites.

The rocket took just over eight minutes to reach low Earth orbit. Following the launch, its reusable booster then landed safely on a SpaceX drone ship in the Pacific Ocean off of the coast of California.

SpaceX rocket launches that originate from California and Florida have become a common occurrence over Arizona in recent years, as they frequently cause brilliant light shows in the evening skies.

click to enlarge

A photo of Monday's SpaceX rocket launch taken by Valley resident Mary Lynch McInnis.

Mary Lynch McInnis

Monday’s launch was anything but ordinary, though.

The rocket’s trail blasted its way across the darkened night, unfurling like a comet tail as it twisted and expanded. It resembled a celestial jellyfish of sorts as drifted across the horizon and its exhaust trail shimmered and glowed against the darkening sky.

SpaceX launches from Vandenberg Space Force Base tend to create a more dramatic light show when they occur within an hour or two of dusk. It’s known as the “twilight effect,” which is caused by the glow of the setting sun lights up the Falcon 9 rocket’s exhaust trail as it heads into orbit.

A number of previous SpaceX launches from Southern California have been seen over Arizona and the southwest since December 2017. Each time a launch results in a visible plume causes many photos being posted to social media.

Such was the case on Monday night, as clear skies allowed Arizona residents to witness the SpaceX rocket’s highly visible exhaust trail.

Valley resident Mary Lynch McInnis, who posted a photo of the launch on Facebook, told Phoenix New Times she was “in awe” of the sight and says it was “incredibly amazing.”

Here’s a look at some of numerous photos of Monday’s SpaceX launch that popped up on social media.

SpaceX Launch tonight as seen from Buckeye AZ pic.twitter.com/A7gnR4zfxY
— kaz hole (@KazKazinski) June 17, 2025

From Phoenix AZ I got some pics of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from Vandenberg CA, Handeld the D500 with my Sigma 60-600mm pic.twitter.com/U8Z2TMUVFE
— Chris 🇺🇲 Holub ✈️ (@cholubaz) June 17, 2025

Falcon 9 launch from South Phoenix. pic.twitter.com/v86ziGwAuv
— Dave Eary (@Ears702) June 17, 2025

I love a good @SpaceX launch 🚀 pic.twitter.com/LFxGRYm1Rh
— DopeAIMama (@DopeAZMama) June 17, 2025

Benjamin Leatherman is a staff writer for Phoenix New Times where he focuses primarily on arts, culture, music and nightlife. He joined New Times in 2003. Prior to that, he contributed to magazines such as Tips & Tricks and The Wrestler. Benjamin has earned multiple awards from the Arizona Press Club including an award for sports enterprise reporting in 2009 and an award for statewide arts reporting in 2014. He holds a bachelor’s of arts in journalism from Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication.

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