Pakyong, March 16 : The mysterious jellyfish-shaped flash of light seen in the evening sky has now been explained. The unusual glow was actually caused by the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. On March 15, 2026, the rocket lifted off carrying 29 Starlink V2 Mini Optimized satellites. The launch took place from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at Space Launch Complex 40 at 8:37 a.m. EDT.
When converted to India Standard Time (IST), the launch time was 7:07 p.m., which closely matches the time when people in parts of India reported seeing the strange light around 7 p.m.
During liftoff, the rocket traveled along a northeast trajectory from the launch site in Florida. As the rocket’s upper stage released exhaust gases high in the atmosphere, sunlight illuminated the expanding plume, creating a glowing jellyfish-like shape in the twilight sky.
Such visual phenomena are sometimes visible over large distances when atmospheric conditions and sunlight angles are favorable. Under the right circumstances, observers across the eastern hemisphere, including parts of India, can briefly witness the illuminated rocket plume high above the Earth.
The spectacular sight sparked curiosity and speculation online, but it has now been confirmed to be a rare yet natural visual effect produced during a rocket launch.
Checking Space programme from all agencies for March 15, 2026:
ISRO (INDIA) : No confirmed launch on Sunday or before that day. ISRO’s next missions (GISAT-1A, Oceansat-3A, TDS-01) were all listed as NET (No Earlier Than) Q1 2026, with several pushed back. No rocket launch occurred from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on March 15.
SpaceX Starship Flight 12: The launch date is currently targeted for April 2026. It had not yet launched on March 15.
China, Russia, ESA: No launches were recorded on March 15 with trajectories over the Indian subcontinent.
