PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Atlas V launched Wednesday morning and could be spotted from South Florida.
The rocket carrying a satellite was launched from Cape Canaveral at 6:18 a.m. The launch was pushed back from its original time at 5:59 a.m.
The United Launch Alliance, which launched the rocket, said the sunlight caught the rocket's plume trail at just at the right angle to create a colorful display.
The rocket is carrying a military satellite that should improve cell phone reception for U.S. Navy service members in remote areas.
Some people were initially concerned, believing the rocket was a comet.
"I thought it was a comet the way that there was such a huge trail behind it," David Bohannon, who witnessed the launch from Kendall, said. "I had never seen anything like it. I grew up in Orlando and I've seen a lot of space shuttle launches and it didn't look like anything I'd seen before."
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