Stop the rumors! Those strange lights you just saw illuminate the sky above Newport Beach are the result of a rocket launched by SpaceX, Elon Musk’s personal experiment to revolutionize space technology and eventually allow people to inhabit other planets.
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, which lifted off from Vanderberg Air Force Base 9.2 miles northwest of Lompoc, California at 5:27 p.m., was carrying 10 satellites to low-Earth orbit and produced a fiery contrail across a dark night sky. The satellites will be part of a constellation operated by Iridium Communications.
As a result of this unusual (and not well-advertised) launch, 911 centers in multiple states are now inundated with calls. Additionally, Instagram feeds across Southern California and beyond have lit up with videos of the “glowing cloud” and false speculations abound in Snapchat stories of an alien invasion.
911 call centers in multiple states are being inundated with calls after SpaceX rocket launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base pic.twitter.com/vJqFgMlggB
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) December 23, 2017
