SpaceX Launches 25th Ressuply Mission To The ISS

On July 14, 2022 the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center, in Florida. This mission was awesome because it did an effect called the jellyfish or the twilight effect. This is when it is dark on the ground, but light up in the sky. So it creates a cool exhaust plume which can be visible for hundreds of miles. Why was this mission important? Why did it make a giant exhaust plume? I will answer all those questions in this article.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifted off from historic Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The vehicle pitched downrange and then continued to accelarate into orbit. The vehicle then passed through Max-Q at 1 minutes 15 seconds into flight. The nine Merlin 1D engines then throttled up to continue to power Falcon 9 to orbit. 2 minutes 29 seconds after liftoff the nine first stage engines cutoff for an event called MECO or Main Engine Cutoff. Then the two stages separated and the single Merlin Vacuum engine ignited. The first stage flipped around and ignited its center merlin engine for its boosterback burn, while the second stage continued to power the second stage with the Dragon 2 spacecraft to orbit. The second stage engine continued its burn for around 5 and a half minutes prior to an event known as SECO or second engine cutoff. During the second stage burn the first stage, three of the nine merlin engines ignited to begin slowing the stage down prior to landing. The landing burn CRS-25 Launch Viewed From Miami

started which ignited a single engine and then

the landing legs deployed, and then the first stage of Falcon 9 landed on SpaceX's droneship A Shortfall Of Gravitas.

The Falcon 9 rocket is a two stage, medium lift, partially reusable, orbital launch vehicle which can carry up to 50 thousand pounds to a low earth orbit, and creates around 7.6 kilonewtons of thrust with the first stage.

The Dragon 2 spacecraft is the second generation of SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft which launched 20 launches before getting retired. This new Dragon version is a bit heavier, however it can carry more payload with a booster landing out at sea.

This mission did do the jellyfish as expected, and was visible from the entirety of the east coast. It was visible from Florida to New York if the weather permitted, because when I tried to see it the clouds got in the way. But it would have been visible from the east coast and around 100 miles inland.

Did You See CRS-25's Jellyfish?

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