Tech guru Elon Musk’s SpaceX rocket lit up the sky leaving Californians puzzled.

The rocket was launched at about 5.30pm (9pm GMT) in Los Angeles on Friday.

It successfully propelled 10 satellites into orbit an hour later.

The rocket first appeared as a red light which looked more like an unusual coloured star.

As it gathered height Californians were in awe as they saw a streak of light streaming across the clear sky at sunset.

SpaceX launch in California. Pic: Danny Sullivan

Image:The rocket propelled 10 satellites into orbit. Pic: Danny Sullivan

SpaceX launch in California. Pic: Danny Sullivan

Image:Californians were in awe as the rocket streaked across the sky. Pic: Danny Sullivan

SpaceX launch in California. Pic: Danny Sullivan

Image:The SpaceX rocket started off as a small white light. Pic: Danny Sullivan


Several celebrities joined fellow social media users in questioning what the mysterious light was.

Singers will.i.am and Billy Ray Cyrus asked what the streak was.

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, who was 120 miles south of LA in San Diego, asked: “What is this in the sky?”

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Tony Hawk @tonyhawk

Does anyone know what we just saw in the skies above San Diego?

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Some users speculated that it was a UFO and aliens were coming to visit.

Musk, the multi-billionaire founder and lead designer at SpaceX, posted a video of the rocket in the sky and joked: “Nuclear alien UFO from North Korea.”

Danny Sullivan, Google’s public liaison for search, took a timelapse video of the rocket shooting over Southern California which garnered more than 30,000 views in half an hour.

Elon Musk

Image:Elon Musk, founder and lead designer at SpaceX, helped launch the rocket


Los Angeles Fire Department had to issue an alert explaining the “mysterious light in the sky” was the rocket launch.

The Falcon 9 rocket was launched from the Vandenberg Air Force Base for communications firm Iridium, which was part of one of the largest tech upgrades in history, SpaceX said.

Source: news.sky.com