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Passengers see SpaceX rocket launch from plane window

A crew member onboard filmed the incredible moment and shared it on TikTok

Helen Wilson-Beevers
Friday 16 December 2022 12:04 EST
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The rocket launch was caught in its entirety by plane passengers
The rocket launch was caught in its entirety by plane passengers (TikTok/ChefPinkPR)

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Passengers on a plane flying past Cape Canaveral in Florida on Friday unwittingly got a front row seat to the launch of a SpaceX rocket.

TikTok user @chefpinkpr is a flight attendant who was working during the plane journey, and shared a video of the moment.

The TikToker – who is called Nelito, usually posts cooking content  – wrote across the TikTok video: “My plane flew by Cape Canaveral and caught the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch!”

An emoji followed these words to signify it being a mind-blowing experience. Nelito captioned the video with: “While working my flight we witnessed this once in a lifetime phenomenon!”

It is unclear which date the rocket launch was spotted on, but one Twitter user shared a similar video on 26 November.

The social media post appears to show a view of the SpaceX rocket launching from a vantage point above, with a clear perspective of its upwards journey and take-off from the space station.

TikTok users were quick to share their awe when viewing the video, with over 8,000 comments appearing underneath. People are seen expressing amazement at the “awesome” “privilege”, with one saying:  “We watched the launch nearby, saw your plane and said “wow the view they must have.””

Another commented: “Wow, can’t believe they launched that with a commercial flight that close.” “How was that clear airspace? Wild,” a user agreed.

However, a lot of people had sympathy for those sitting on the other side of the plane when the video was taken. “Passengers on the right side seething,” another user wrote.

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