SpaceX rocket streaks across early morning sky in SC Lowcountry. Next launch coming soon.
SpaceX this week launched another mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, when its Falcon 9 rocket launched 29 Starlink satellites to low-earth orbit. SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket seen above Bay Street in downtown Beaufort on July 9, 2026. After taking off at 5:25 a.m. in a north-easterly trajectory, it soon was spotted in the skies over the East Coast — including the S.C. Lowcountry. Several people shared images with The Post and Courier, from Folly Beach, Sullivan's Island to downtown Beaufort. This was a record-setting 36th launch for the Falcon 9 booster, B1067. The booster landed about eight minutes later on an autonomous droneship in the Atlantic Ocean called "A Shortfall of Gravitas," according to SpaceFlightNow.com. SpaceX has more than 10,700 Starlink satellites in orbit. The company plans to launched another Starlink mission on Falcon 9 from Florida on July 14 between 3:15 a.m. and 7:15 a.m., according to the SpaceX launch website. Visibility from South Carolina depends on weather and direction of launch. Launches at night or in the early morning also are best, though not always required. Views along the coast or over vast waterways or marshes can be advantageous. For liftoffs from Florida, look south-southeast a few minutes after the launch.
Source: Post and Courier