Jennifer Sangalang and Rick Neale, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
For people who live on the Space Coast of Florida, it's not uncommon to see a rocket launch in the sky.
But a possible fireball or wayward object? That's not as common.
Coincidentally, on Saturday, Nov. 8, during a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch attempt from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, something was spotted in the sky. Social media users posted photos and video online.
Just before 6:20 a.m., FLORIDA TODAY Executive Editor Mara Bellaby spotted a possible satellite breaking apart and streaking across the sky while she was out for a morning jog on Merritt Island.
Merritt Island is part of Brevard County, an hour east of the Orlando theme parks.
What happened? As SpaceX tries to launch a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, fireball spotted in the sky
Bellaby recently wrote about rising launch rates in her Week in Review column for FLORIDA TODAY.
Spaceflight Now posted video of the phenomenon: "While waiting for the Starlink 10-51 launch our cameras at the Kennedy Space Center captured what appears to be a satellite reentry in the dawn sky. (camera emoji) @johnpisaniphoto"
Chatter in the post noted the possible satellite reentry was "streaking from north to south about 6:18 a.m. ET" and it was "bright and chunky."
One post on social media site X, which is owned by billionaire SpaceX founder Elon Musk, suggested the fireball was "almost certainly reentry of a Chinese upper stage rocket," according to user @jconcilus, whose bio states he is a marine traffic operator and NASA Spaceflight (NSF) camera custodian.
The fireball sighting over Merritt Island, Florida, which is nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, was not a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. SpaceX had attempted to launch the rocket for another Starlink mission, with the launch window between 3:30 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. ET Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. SpaceX announced a scrub at about 7:14 a.m.
The space agency will try again for Sunday, Nov. 9, though no time was given as of 9:45 a.m. Saturday. This week alone has seen a few rocket launch attempts, scrubs and launches - including a nighttime liftoff of a SpaceX Falcon 9 on Nov. 5, 2025, from Cape Canaveral.
Why are we called the Space Coast? How rocket launches became part of life in Brevard County, Florida
Rocket launches in Florida: Here's a current (and very big) list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Fireball in Florida near Cape Canaveral as SpaceX rocket launch scrubs