SpaceX made history when Starship finally reached orbit for the first time on Monday. But some people watching the livestream were paying attention to something else entirely.
A strange streak-like object appeared in the background of the broadcast as Starship travelled above Earth, quickly setting off UFO theories online.
The pale object appeared slightly curved, with a brighter section at one end. Clips and screenshots soon began circulating on social media.
Some viewers went much further than simply calling it unidentified.
One described what they had seen as a possible “UFO mothership,” while another asked SpaceX about what appeared to be a huge craft near the horizon.
There is no evidence that it was anything extraterrestrial.
SpaceX and NASA have not publicly identified the object, and several much more ordinary explanations have been suggested.
It could have been exhaust or gas associated with Starship or its Super Heavy booster. Ice or debris has also been raised as a possibility.
The camera alone makes it difficult to judge the object’s distance or size, meaning claims that it was an enormous craft can’t be established from the footage.
Whatever it was, its appearance came during an important flight for Elon Musk’s space company.
Starship lifted off from Starbase, Texas, on September 28 and reached orbit for the first time on its 14th test flight.
It also deployed 26 Starlink V3 satellites, another first for the giant rocket.
The mission didn’t go completely to plan.
An engine problem prompted controllers to shorten what was supposed to be a roughly 10-hour flight to around three hours before Starship returned and splashed down in the Pacific.
The mysterious object had no known effect on the mission.
