I happened to be near LA this past weekend visiting friends and was able to see the launch. First time I have ever seen one and it was pretty spectacular.
I witnessed and photographed the launch Sunday from an unobstructed view above the ocean. There were many there who did not know what it was.
As the second stage shut down, the amount of sky covered in reflected ice crystals was huge, all from a small amount of fuel burn.
It brought to mind the risk of a volcano erupting to our climate when many cubic miles of dust get that high.
MOST amazing is that it has become almost ho hum to launch and retrieve a booster, landing on a dime.
Amazing pictures!
Any statement that starts off with “Definitely not aliens” proves it is definitely aliens.
I think that were I an engineer passionate about outer space it would be a lot more fun to work at a company that says "let's figure out how to send regular people to the moon and beyond" rather than a big government entity that says "let's send another satellite up to take pictures in ten years".
SAOCOM 1A, by the way, was developed by Argentina's national space agency.
"We will fly for you Argentina." -- SpaceX