UFO Claims in SpaceX Starship Flight and Experts' Exhaust Gas Explanation
While a mysterious object reflected on the live broadcast during Starship's 14th test flight on September 28 sparked UFO speculations on social media, experts explained the situation as rocket gas.
While a mysterious object seen in the live broadcast of SpaceX's 14th Starship test flight on September 28 sparked claims of UFOs and alien motherships on social media, experts stated that the image was caused by the rocket's exhaust gas.
Historic Flight and the Image in the Live Broadcast
SpaceX achieved a historic flight with Starship, enabling the giant rocket to reach Earth orbit for the first time during the 14th test flight carried out from the Starbase facility in Texas on September 28.
Some viewers following the flight live paid attention not to Starship, but to a mysterious image that appeared around the 8th minute of the broadcast and was claimed to be a UFO.
Alien Theories Rising on Social Media
While it was stated that the mysterious image became distinct at around 7 minutes and 55 seconds of the flight, intense discussions started among users after the screenshots were shared on X.
Some social media users claimed that SpaceX live-streamed a UFO mothership following Starship over Texas and that the object appeared larger than a city.
Rocket Physics and Exhaust Gas Assessment
While alien theories spread rapidly on social media, a different explanation based on rocket physics came to the agenda for the image, and X's artificial intelligence assistant Grok clarified the situation.
Grok stated that the image was consistent with the exhaust gas expanding in a near-vacuum environment left behind after the separation of the Super Heavy booster from Starship and its return maneuver.
Views of Engineers and Experts
Engineer Dean Scott evaluated that the image was connected to the gas left behind after the shutdown of the Super Heavy's engines and the return maneuver.
According to Scott, Earth's bright horizon initially obscuring the view played a role in making the gas appear as if it was rising upward.
Scale Illusion and Official Status
Although some users suggested that the object was of massive proportions, according to the evaluations of Dean Scott and engineer Kyle Holl, Earth's bright horizon may have created a scale illusion.
Following the ongoing discussions, SpaceX, NASA, and Elon Musk did not make any official statement regarding what the image in question on the live broadcast was.
Orbital Success and Congratulatory Messages
Starship achieved a success it could not accomplish in the previous 13 test flights, successfully sending the giant rocket into orbit for the first time on the 14th flight and leaving behind an important milestone.
Following this successful test flight, NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman made statements congratulating SpaceX.