SpaceX Targets Falcon 9 Launch After Jellyfish Sky Display

Clearer weather has improved the prospects for another striking rocket launch display over Florida as SpaceX prepares to send its Falcon 9 rocket on the Bandwagon-5 rideshare mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026. The launch will carry 32 payloads and could produce the glowing, jellyfish-shaped exhaust phenomenon that recently attracted attention across the eastern United States.

According to the launch schedule reported by the Orlando Sentinel, liftoff is targeted for 7:04 a.m., just 22 minutes before sunrise, within a launch window closing at 7:30 a.m. The rocket's exhaust could catch sunlight in the upper atmosphere while the surrounding sky remains dark, creating the distinctive illuminated formation.

The previous launch attempt was called off Monday because of weather concerns. SpaceX reported that conditions had improved overnight, with a 95% probability of favorable launch weather.

However, Space Launch Delta 45's weather squadron identified a moderate risk of unfavorable conditions in the booster recovery area downrange. If the mission slips to Wednesday, the launch window is expected to open at 6:30 a.m., with similar conditions forecast.

The previous week's SpaceX launch generated an expanding, nebula-like formation visible as far north as Washington, D.C. According to the Orlando Sentinel, local photographers near the Florida launch site described the enormous cloud formation as one of the most impressive they had witnessed.

The Bandwagon-5 mission's first-stage booster is scheduled to make its 19th trip to space. After separating from the rocket, the booster will attempt to land on A Shortfall of Gravitas, a droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

The mission comes as launch activity along Florida's Space Coast has slowed compared with last year. According to the Orlando Sentinel, the planned flight would mark the 60th launch by all providers from the Space Coast in 2026, with SpaceX accounting for all but seven of those missions.

Florida-based SpaceX launches have become less frequent as the company concentrates on developing its Starship and Super Heavy launch tower at Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39-A. The Space Coast recorded a total of 109 launches by all providers in 2025, when missions had been occurring at a pace approaching one every three days.

Since Aug. 30, SpaceX has completed only four additional launches, the Orlando Sentinel reported. Other launch providers have not announced new target dates for their return to flight.

United Launch Alliance is working to return its Vulcan rocket to the launch pad before the end of 2026 after addressing problems identified during its most recent flight earlier in the year. The rocket has flown four times to date, while the company's Atlas V could return sooner.

NASA has indicated that Boeing's Starliner could be ready for an uncrewed space station mission as early as December. United Launch Alliance last launched a rocket on July 2.

Blue Origin is also working toward a return to flight after damage to its launch infrastructure. The company's New Glenn rocket completed its sole flight of 2026 on April 19, but an explosion during a rocket test hot fire in May heavily damaged the launch pad at Cape Canaveral's Launch Complex 36. The company is rebuilding the facility with the aim of restoring flight readiness before the end of the year.

NASA's other launch from the Space Coast in 2026 was the Space Launch System rocket carrying the Orion spacecraft on the Artemis II lunar flyby mission. The mission lifted off from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B on April 1.

NASA does not expect another Space Launch System flight until at least mid-2027, when Artemis III is scheduled to launch. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman is scheduled to provide an update on the mission's progress during a press conference at Kennedy Space Center on Friday, Oct. 23.