NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 16, 2026 presented a timelapse video by Eric Holland of a predawn Falcon 9 and Dragon launch, captured from Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. According to the accompanying explanation, the flight departed Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday, October 13, bound for low Earth orbit on NASA's 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission.

The video opens with the launch before the International Space Station enters the frame from the top, its bright streak moving "down" toward the horizon almost 8 seconds into the 30-second timelapse. The Falcon 9's first and second stages separate as the exhaust plume, likened to a jellyfish, grows and catches the light of the rising Sun.

The explanation notes that the visible sequence of first stage boost back, re-entry and landing burns begins around 20 seconds in, with the second stage continuing toward the distant horizon and the plume drifting in the predawn sky after the first stage landed at Landing Zone 40.