Launch Prints | RocketMan Robert

The Prints

Each print below has a short story with it. The prints are grouped into daytime launches, nighttime launches, and nighttime streaks. Every print can be purchased with or without my signature, and with or without the flight caption. To order, choose your size, material, signature and caption options on any print and use its "Add to Cart" or "Order by email" button, email me at Robert.Duvall@RocketmanRobert.com or call +1 321‑408‑8422.

Found a different photo you like? Write to Robert.Duvall@RocketmanRobert.com with the gallery, photo and options.

Daytime

Launches in daylight, at sunrise and at sunset, when you can see the rocket, the pad and the smoke.

2. Artemis I, Waiting

NASA's new Moon rocket stands between its lightning towers on the morning it almost flew.

August 29, 2022 (launch attempt scrubbed) · NASA Space Launch System and Orion, Artemis I · Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center

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The Story: Artemis I was set to launch at 8:33 AM that Monday. It would be the first flight of NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) rocket and Orion spacecraft. Leaks and a problem with one of the core stage's engines held up the countdown, then thunderclouds rolled in and the attempt was scrubbed. I made this photo of the rocket standing in the hazy morning light: the launch that almost happened.

7. Starlink Climb at Dusk

A sharp, fiery Falcon 9 climbing through a deep blue evening sky.

April 18, 2024, 6:40 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 (Starlink) · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites, about 16.8 tonnes of payload. The booster, B1080, was on its 7th flight. Its earlier missions included the Axiom-2 and Axiom-3 private crew flights and ESA's Euclid space telescope. Here the rocket is in full flight, a long flame trailing below it.

8. Passing the Moon

Falcon 9's plume slides past a daytime Moon.

April 18, 2024, 6:40 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 (Starlink) · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: This is the same evening as "Starlink Climb at Dusk." As the rocket climbed, its path carried the plume right past the Moon from where I stood, and I made a series of frames as it crossed. Minutes later the booster landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas, about 615 km downrange.

9. Clearing the Tower: Starlink 6-53

A daytime liftoff, with the steam cloud billowing at the pad.

April 23, 2024, 6:17 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 6-53 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: Booster B1078 was flying for the 9th time. Its earlier missions included NASA's Crew-6. It carried 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit, and this frame shows it just clearing the tower with the lightning towers and steam around it. Watch for B1078 further down this page: it kept flying for years.

17. Smoke Trail: Starlink 12-26

A close look at Falcon 9 climbing on a textured trail of exhaust.

June 13, 2025, 11:29 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 12-26 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This midday launch had been pushed back from June 10, and it carried Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit. Booster B1078, the same one in "Clearing the Tower," was now on its 21st flight. It landed afterward on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas near the Bahamas. I photographed this one from Titusville.

18. Crew-11 Clears the Tower

Four astronauts leave Pad 39A, rising past the crew access tower.

August 1, 2025, 11:43 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon, Crew-11 to the ISS · Launch Complex 39A · Viewed from Kennedy Space Center

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The Story: Crew-11 was the eleventh operational crew rotation flight of SpaceX's Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. On board were NASA's Zena Cardman (commander) and Mike Fincke (pilot), JAXA's Kimiya Yui and Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Platonov. This is one of my close-up frames from Kennedy Space Center as the rocket rose past the tower. The booster, B1094 on its 3rd flight (its 2nd had launched Axiom Mission 4, print #39), came back to Landing Zone 1, the last time that landing zone was used.

20. Sunrise on Launch Morning

Golden light breaks through towering clouds over the Space Coast.

September 25, 2025, before the 8:09 AM EDT launch · ULA Atlas V 551, Project Kuiper (KA-03) · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: The morning an Atlas V launched a batch of Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellites, the sunrise put on a show of its own. I photographed it from Titusville, across the water, with the space center's buildings in silhouette, before the rocket ever left the pad. Kuiper is Amazon's planned constellation of internet satellites in low Earth orbit, since renamed Amazon Leo.

22. Artemis II Liftoff

People head back to the Moon: Artemis II leaves Pad 39B.

April 1, 2026, 6:35 PM EDT · NASA SLS and Orion "Integrity," Artemis II · Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center · Viewed from the KSC press site

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The Story: Artemis II was the first crewed flight of NASA's 322-foot Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft. It carried NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen on a roughly 10-day trip around the Moon and back. They named their spacecraft "Integrity" and splashed down safely in the Pacific on April 10. I photographed liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center press site.

23. Artemis II Ascent

A tight vertical view of SLS riding its column of fire.

April 1, 2026, 6:35 PM EDT · NASA SLS and Orion, Artemis II · Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center · Viewed from the KSC press site

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The Story: Another view of the Artemis II launch, with the rocket climbing on 8.8 million pounds of thrust. This was the first time people had traveled to the Moon's neighborhood in more than half a century. At their farthest point the crew was 252,756 miles from home, farther from Earth than any humans had ever gone.

27. Atlas V, Reflected

Liftoff fire doubled in the water, with the Cape's buildings alongside.

May 29, 2026, 7:53 PM · ULA Atlas V 551, Amazon Leo (LA-07) · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This was another Atlas V 551 launch for Amazon Leo, a constellation planned at 3,236 satellites and about 10% complete at the time. From Titusville the liftoff glow reflected across the water, and the pad's towers and a massive building on the left stack up into layers.

28. Morning Streak: Starlink 10-43

A glowing plume pulls a long trail across a calm grey sky.

June 4, 2026, 6:26 AM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 10-43 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This morning launch carried Starlink V2 Mini satellites to low Earth orbit on booster B1090's 12th flight. Every Starlink launch adds another batch of satellites to SpaceX's internet network. I like how quiet this one is: just the bright head of the plume and its long, fading trail.

32. Falcon Heavy and Roman

A close portrait of Falcon Heavy, with NASA's Roman Space Telescope in its nose.

August 30, 2026, 7:26 AM · SpaceX Falcon Heavy, NASA Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope · Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center · Viewed from the KSC press site

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The Story: NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a flagship observatory built to study dark energy, dark matter and planets around other stars, with a field of view at least 100 times bigger than Hubble's. It's headed to a spot called Sun-Earth Lagrange Point 2, about a million miles out. I made this close-up of the rocket on Pad 39A from the press site. After launch, the two side boosters flew back to land at the Cape, while the brand-new center core was expended.

33. Booster 1095 Comes Home

A flown Falcon 9 booster stands on its landing legs aboard the drone ship, back in port.

Photographed April 23, 2026, Port Canaveral, FL · SpaceX Falcon 9 booster B1095 · Launched April 21, 2026, 2:53 AM, from Space Launch Complex 40

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The Story: Booster B1095 launched the GPS III SV10 navigation satellite on April 21, its 7th flight, and landed on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions. Two days later I photographed it arriving at Port Canaveral for refurbishing and another flight. It was the drone ship's last Falcon 9 landing: after more than 150 of them, Just Read the Instructions is being repurposed to carry Starship hardware from Starbase, Texas, to Florida.

34. Into Soft Sky: Starlink 10-39

A clean daytime climb against a soft, hazy sky.

August 20, 2026, 11:14 AM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 10-39 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: After a scrub on August 19, this Falcon 9 flew the next day with a load of Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Booster B1078, the one from "Clearing the Tower" back in 2024, was now on its 30th flight, and it landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Thirty flights for one booster shows how normal rocket reuse has become.

35. Palms and Liftoff, Playalinda

A Starlink launch framed by Florida palms.

May 15, 2021, about 6:58 PM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 26 · Launch Complex 39A · Viewed from Playalinda Beach, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 launched a batch of Starlink satellites from Pad 39A, and I watched from Playalinda Beach on the Canaveral National Seashore. The palms in the foreground and the pad's water tower and launch tower behind give this one a real Space Coast feel. I ran several cameras that evening, and this is one of my favorite frames.

38. Crew-9 Climbs

A sharp daytime view of Falcon 9 and Dragon riding a long flame.

September 28, 2024, 1:17 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon Freedom, Crew-9 to the ISS · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: Crew-9 was the first crewed launch ever from Space Launch Complex 40. It flew with just two people, NASA's Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov, leaving two seats empty for the return trip of the astronauts who had flown up on Boeing's Starliner test flight. The booster, B1085, was on its 2nd flight (you'll see it again in "Ghost Riders in the Sky" and the SXM-11 prints), and it came back to land at Cape Canaveral.

40. Crew-11 Sunrise at 39A

A huge rising sun behind Pad 39A on launch day.

August 1, 2025, sunrise, before the 11:43 AM EDT launch · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon, Crew-11 to the ISS · Launch Complex 39A · Viewed from Kennedy Space Center

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The Story: On Crew-11 launch day, the sun came up right behind Pad 39A, where the Falcon 9 and Dragon were waiting. I made this frame before the launch, with the pad and its towers in silhouette and SpaceX's Starship tower on the right. A few hours later Zena Cardman, Mike Fincke, Kimiya Yui and Oleg Platonov were on their way to the International Space Station (see "Crew-11 Clears the Tower").

41. Crew-11 and the Flag

An American flag in the foreground as Crew-11 climbs into the sky.

August 1, 2025, 11:43 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon, Crew-11 to the ISS · Launch Complex 39A · Viewed from Kennedy Space Center

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The Story: This is another view of the Crew-11 liftoff, the eleventh operational crew rotation flight of a Crew Dragon to the International Space Station. The rocket is sharp as it climbs on a bright flame, with an American flag blurred in the foreground. The booster, B1094, was on its 3rd flight and came back to Landing Zone 1.

Nighttime

Night and twilight launches: liftoffs that light up the pad, glowing plumes against a dark sky, and the "jellyfish" clouds that form when sunlight hits the exhaust high above.

1. Rocket-Made Clouds over Chiefland

Glowing ribbons left high in the sky by a pre-dawn Starlink launch.

May 6, 2022, 5:42 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 (Starlink) · Launch Complex 39A · Viewed from Chiefland, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried 53 Starlink internet satellites from Pad 39A on a booster making its 12th flight. I watched from Chiefland, clear on the other side of the state. Over the next hour the rocket's exhaust turned into these glowing, twisting clouds: water vapor from the engines freezes high in the atmosphere, where it catches sunlight while the ground below is still in twilight.

3. Artemis I Lights the Night

The first Space Launch System rocket leaves Pad 39B and turns night into day.

November 16, 2022, early morning · NASA SLS and Orion, Artemis I · Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center

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The Story: After the summer scrubs, Artemis I finally flew in the middle of the night. It was an uncrewed test flight to the Moon, meant to certify SLS and Orion before astronauts flew on Artemis II. This frame catches liftoff, with fire and the billowing steam cloud lit up by the engines.

4. Falcon Heavy, Night Comet

Falcon Heavy's exhaust glows like the head of a comet against a dark sky.

April 30, 2023, 8:26 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon Heavy, ViaSat-3 Americas · Launch Complex 39A

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The Story: This Falcon Heavy carried ViaSat-3 Americas, the first of a new generation of Boeing-built broadband satellites for Viasat. A small satellite named Arcturus, for Astranis, rode along. Falcon Heavy is basically three Falcon 9 first-stage cores strapped together, and on this mission SpaceX didn't recover any of the three boosters.

5. Falcon Heavy, Long Trail

One minimal stroke of light across a black sky.

April 30, 2023, 8:26 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon Heavy, ViaSat-3 Americas · Launch Complex 39A

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The Story: Another frame from the same Falcon Heavy flight, with the plume stretched into a long, glowing trail. The center core was booster B1068, and the side boosters were B1052 (8th flight) and B1053 (3rd flight). All three were expended, so this was the last time any of them flew.

6. Pad 40 Liftoff: Starlink 6-49

The glow of liftoff floods the pad under its lightning towers.

April 12, 2024, 9:40 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 6-49 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: This Falcon 9 lifted off carrying 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. The first-stage booster, B1083, was only on its second flight; its first job had been launching NASA's Crew-8 astronauts. I caught the moment of liftoff, when the whole pad lights up, and the booster landed afterward on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions.

10. Purple Ascent

Pre-dawn exhaust glowing purple and pink high above the Cape.

July 3, 2024, 5:55 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink Group 8-9 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: This early-morning Falcon 9 carried 20 Starlink satellites, 13 of them new "Direct to Cell" satellites designed to connect to ordinary cell phones. Booster B1073 already had 15 missions behind it. High above the Cape, the exhaust lit up in colors you only get in that pre-dawn window.

11. Lagoon Jellyfish at Sunrise

A rocket-made cloud glows over still water as dawn arrives.

July 3, 2024, after the 5:55 AM EDT launch · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink Group 8-9 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: After the July 3 Starlink launch, the exhaust left glowing clouds in the sky for about 45 minutes, and they reflected in the lagoon. I kept shooting as the light changed, and this frame is from near sunrise. Launch fans call these "jellyfish." Water vapor from the rocket freezes into thin, high clouds that catch the sun before it reaches the ground.

12. The Last Military Atlas

An Atlas V rises in an orange glow on a dawn national-security launch.

July 30, 2024, 6:45 AM EDT · ULA Atlas V 551, USSF-51 · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: USSF-51 carried a classified U.S. Space Force payload. It was the Atlas V's last national security launch, as United Launch Alliance moves those missions to its new Vulcan rocket, and ULA's 100th national security launch overall. The "551" in the name stands for a 5-meter payload fairing, five solid rocket boosters and a one-engine Centaur upper stage.

13. SpainSat Night Fire

The exhaust lights up Pad 40 as a booster starts its final flight.

October 23, 2025, 9:30 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, SpainSat NG II · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried SpainSat NG II, a secure communications satellite for the Spanish operator Hisdesat built by Airbus and Thales Alenia Space, toward geosynchronous transfer orbit. Booster B1076 was making its 22nd and final flight: the mission needed the rocket's full performance, so the booster was not recovered. I photographed the liftoff from Titusville.

14. Ghost Riders in the Sky

Two Moon landers leave Pad 39A in the middle of the night.

January 15, 2025, 1:11 AM EST · SpaceX Falcon 9, Blue Ghost Mission 1 and Hakuto-R M2 "Resilience" · Launch Complex 39A · Viewed from the Kennedy Space Center press site

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried two lunar landers. One was Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost, carrying 10 NASA science payloads for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The other was Japan-based ispace's Resilience. NASA gave me a press pass for this one, so I shot from the KSC press site as the steam spread across the pad. Blue Ghost touched down successfully on the Moon in March 2025.

15. New Glenn's First Night

Blue Origin's New Glenn fills its launch tower with fire on its maiden flight.

January 16, 2025, about 2:02 AM EST · Blue Origin New Glenn, maiden flight · Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Cocoa Beach, FL

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The Story: This was the first flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn, a two-stage heavy-lift rocket named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Seven BE-4 engines power the first stage, and the payload was Blue Origin's Blue Ring Pathfinder. I watched from Cocoa Beach as the engine glow lit up the tower and the clouds of exhaust.

16. New Glenn Rising

New Glenn's trail climbs through a violet night sky.

January 16, 2025 · Blue Origin New Glenn, maiden flight · Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Cocoa Beach, FL

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The Story: Another frame from the same maiden flight, with the rocket climbing on a column of light. New Glenn stands about 320 feet tall and was more than a decade in the making. On this first flight the second stage reached orbit as planned, but the reusable first stage was lost on its first attempt to land at sea.

19. Nusantara Lima by Night

A night liftoff silhouetted between Pad 40's lightning towers.

September 11, 2025, night · SpaceX Falcon 9, Nusantara Lima · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: Nusantara Lima is an Indonesian high-throughput communications satellite, built on Boeing's 702MP platform, that will serve Indonesia's more than 17,000 islands from geostationary orbit. It replaces Nusantara-2, which was lost in a 2020 launch failure. Booster B1078 was back again, this time on its 23rd flight, and I shot from Titusville.

21. Twilight Swirl

A pre-dawn plume curls into a swirl high above the water.

March 4, 2026, 5:52 AM EST · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink Group 10-40 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried Starlink V2 Mini satellites on booster B1080's 25th flight. It's the same booster from "Starlink Climb at Dusk," back when it was on flight 7. Launched before sunrise, the exhaust high overhead caught the sunlight while the water below was still dim, and the plume curled into this shape.

25. Atlas V, Up Close

A brilliant Atlas V flame against a black sky.

April 27, 2026, 8:52 PM EDT · ULA Atlas V 551, Amazon Leo (LA-06) · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Atlas V carried a batch of 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites (the network was formerly called Project Kuiper). It was Amazon's 10th operational Leo launch. I followed the rocket from Titusville as it climbed, close enough to see the flame's shape.

26. Atlas V in Watercolor

Warm and cool tones blend in a glowing plume.

April 27, 2026, 8:52 PM EDT · ULA Atlas V 551, Amazon Leo (LA-06) · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: Another frame from the same night, the exhaust spreading out in soft, painterly color. The 551 is the most powerful version of the Atlas V, with five solid rocket boosters strapped to its core. This mission brought the number of operational Amazon Leo satellites up to about 270.

29. SXM-11: Fire and Ice

Blue and orange exhaust in a bold diagonal on black.

June 28, 2026, 10:25 PM · SpaceX Falcon 9, SiriusXM SXM-11 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried the SiriusXM SXM-11 radio satellite toward geosynchronous transfer orbit. Booster B1085 was on its 17th flight. It started out launching the Crew-9 astronauts (print #38), and about a year and a half before this flight it launched the two Moon landers in "Ghost Riders in the Sky." I photographed this one from Merritt Island.

30. SXM-11: Red Ascent

A red-orange plume on black, the companion to "Fire and Ice."

June 28, 2026, 10:25 PM · SpaceX Falcon 9, SiriusXM SXM-11 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: Another frame from the SXM-11 launch, with the exhaust burning a deep red-orange. Afterward the booster landed on the drone ship A Shortfall of Gravitas. Satellites like this one usually head for a geosynchronous orbit about 22,000 miles up, where they keep pace with Earth's rotation and stay over the same region.

31. Record-Setter Jellyfish

A twilight jellyfish over the water, launched by the most-flown booster yet.

July 9, 2026, 5:25 AM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 10-42 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: On this Starlink mission, booster B1067 became the first orbital-class booster to fly 36 times. It carried 29 Starlink satellites, and B1067 had started its career back in 2021 with a Dragon cargo flight before going on to launch the Crew-3 and Crew-4 astronauts. From Merritt Island, the pre-dawn plume spread into a glowing jellyfish over the water, with a bright point of light shining above it.

36. Crew-6 from 125 Miles

A launch streak, the Moon and a quiet lake, seen from West Palm Beach.

March 2, 2023, 12:34 AM EST · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon Endeavour, Crew-6 to the ISS · Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center · Viewed from West Palm Beach, FL

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The Story: Crew-6 was SpaceX's 6th operational crew flight for NASA, carrying NASA's Stephen Bowen (commander) and Warren "Woody" Hoburg (pilot), UAE astronaut Sultan Alneyadi and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev to the International Space Station. The booster was brand new, but the Dragon, Endeavour, was making its 4th flight after Demo-2, Crew-2 and Axiom's Ax-1. I made this time-lapse from West Palm Beach, 125 miles from the Cape. From that distance the rocket is a thin red streak low over the water, with the Moon shining above it.

37. Crew-7 in Red

A Crew Dragon launch streak glowing red against a black pre-dawn sky.

August 26, 2023, 3:27 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon Endurance, Crew-7 to the ISS · Launch Complex 39A

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The Story: Crew-7 carried four people from four space agencies to the International Space Station for a six-month stay: NASA's Jasmin Moghbeli, ESA's Andreas Mogensen, JAXA's Satoshi Furukawa and Roscosmos cosmonaut Konstantin Borisov. They rode in the Crew Dragon Endurance. In the middle of the night, the climbing rocket showed up as this single bold stroke of red.

39. Axiom-4 in Color

A Crew Dragon plume in red, blue and cyan against the night.

June 25, 2025, 2:31 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon Grace, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4) · Launch Complex 39A · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: Axiom Mission 4 was a private flight to the International Space Station, commanded by Peggy Whitson with Shubhanshu Shukla of India, Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland and Tibor Kapu of Hungary. It was the first time in more than 40 years that any of those three countries had sent an astronaut to space. Their Dragon, Grace, was on its first flight and was the fifth and last Crew Dragon SpaceX planned to build. I photographed the launch from Titusville after several delays, and the booster, B1094, landed back at the Cape's Landing Zone 1.

Nighttime Streaks

Close-up long exposures, where the rocket's engine light draws one continuous arc across the night sky. Some arcs bend left and some bend right, depending on where I stood and which way the rocket flew.

42. Globalstar Climb

A Falcon 9 draws a tall golden line up into the night sky.

August 15, 2026, 9:12 PM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Globalstar 2-R Mission 1 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried nine new second-generation Globalstar satellites, built by MDA with Rocket Lab supplying the satellite buses and launch dispensers, to replenish Globalstar's mobile communications network. Booster B1090 was on its 14th flight. From Merritt Island, a long exposure turns the whole climb into one bright line rising over the water.

24. The Arc

The whole climb of a pre-dawn launch, drawn as one golden arc over the water.

April 14, 2026, 5:33 AM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 10-24 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried Starlink V2 Mini satellites on booster B1080's 26th flight, about six weeks after "Twilight Swirl." A long exposure from Titusville records the rocket's path as a single curve, rising straight up and then bending over as it heads downrange toward orbit. The booster landed on the drone ship Just Read the Instructions.

43. Record Flight, Traced in Light

Booster B1067's record 36th flight, recorded as one golden curve.

July 9, 2026, 5:25 AM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 10-42 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: This is the same pre-dawn launch as "Record-Setter Jellyfish" (#31), when booster B1067 flew for a record 36th time, carrying Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Here a long exposure from Merritt Island traces the rocket's whole path up from Pad 40 in one stroke of light.

49. Atlas V Arc: Amazon Leo 6

An Atlas V's whole climb, drawn as one bright curve over the water.

April 27, 2026, 8:52 PM EDT · ULA Atlas V 551, Amazon Leo (LA-06) · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This is the same launch as "Atlas V, Up Close" (#25) and "Atlas V in Watercolor" (#26), carrying a batch of 29 Amazon Leo satellites. Those two prints zoom in on the flame; this long exposure from Titusville shows the rocket's entire path instead.

44. Last Light of the Atlas V 551

The final Atlas V 551 climbs away in a single bright arc.

July 2, 2026, 12:30 AM · ULA Atlas V 551, Amazon Leo LA-08 · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: This was the last flight of the Atlas V 551, the version with five GEM-63 solid rocket boosters and a single-engine Centaur upper stage. It carried 29 Amazon Leo broadband satellites on LA-08, the eighth and final Amazon Leo launch on an Atlas, as ULA moves those missions to Vulcan. The long exposure from Merritt Island shows the rocket's path as it heads northeast toward low Earth orbit.

50. Golden Atlas: Amazon Leo

An Atlas V launch turns the night sky gold.

April 4, 2026, 1:45 AM · ULA Atlas V, Amazon Leo · Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Atlas V, vehicle AV-109, lifted off at 1:45 in the morning carrying Amazon Leo internet satellites to low Earth orbit. Unlike a Falcon 9, an Atlas booster is not reused. From Titusville, the long exposure caught the path as a thick golden arc, with its glow filling the sky.

45. SXM-11 Over the Rooftops

A wide golden arc sweeps over palms and rooftops.

June 28, 2026, 10:25 PM · SpaceX Falcon 9, SiriusXM SXM-11 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Merritt Island, FL

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The Story: This is the same launch as "SXM-11: Fire and Ice" (#29) and "SXM-11: Red Ascent" (#30). Booster B1085, on its 17th flight, sent the SiriusXM SXM-11 radio satellite toward geosynchronous transfer orbit. Those two prints zoom in on the plume; this long exposure from Merritt Island takes in the whole curve of the climb.

51. Pre-Dawn Sweep: Starlink 10-15

A big, clean arc that crosses almost the whole frame.

September 25, 2025, 4:39 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 10-15 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried 28 Starlink V2 Mini satellites on booster B1080's 22nd flight. The same booster launched "Starlink Climb at Dusk" (#7) and, later, "The Arc" (#24). From Titusville, the long exposure records the rocket rising and then bending over as it heads downrange.

46. 2 AM Starlink Line

A middle-of-the-night Starlink launch, reflected in the water below.

January 30, 2026, 2:22 AM · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 6-101 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 launched Starlink V2 Mini satellites from Pad 40 at 2:22 in the morning, on booster 1095's 5th flight. The same booster shows up back in port in "Booster 1095 Comes Home" (#33). From Titusville, the long exposure turns the climb into a thin bright line, with its reflection on the water.

52. Cargo Dragon's Path: CRS-33

A Cargo Dragon heads for the Space Station in a curve of light.

August 24, 2025, 2:45 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Cargo Dragon, CRS-33 to the ISS · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: CRS-33 was a Commercial Resupply Service mission to the International Space Station, contracted by NASA and flown by SpaceX with a Cargo Dragon. Booster B1090 was on its 7th flight; it is the same booster that later launched "Globalstar Climb" (#42) on its 14th. I made this long exposure from Titusville.

47. New Glenn's First Climb

Blue Origin's first New Glenn rises from Cape Canaveral in a white arc.

January 16, 2025, about 2:02 AM EST · Blue Origin New Glenn, maiden flight · Launch Complex 36, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Cocoa Beach, FL

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The Story: This is the same historic night as "New Glenn's First Night" (#15) and "New Glenn Rising" (#16): the maiden flight of Blue Origin's New Glenn, carrying the Blue Ring Pathfinder. From Cocoa Beach, this long exposure traces the rocket's path from the glow at the pad up into the night sky.

53. Starlink 10-18 Under the Clouds

A golden arc climbs past the clouds over the water.

June 18, 2025, 1:55 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 10-18 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral · Viewed from Titusville, FL

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The Story: This Falcon 9 carried Starlink V2 Mini satellites on booster B1090's 5th flight, the same booster as "Cargo Dragon's Path: CRS-33" (#52) and "Globalstar Climb" (#42). From Titusville, the long exposure caught the arc climbing over the water, with clouds drifting across the sky.

48. Starlink 6-49 Arc

A clean white arc curving over the water.

April 12, 2024, 9:40 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink 6-49 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: This is the same evening launch as "Pad 40 Liftoff: Starlink 6-49" (#6). Booster B1083, on its second flight, carried 23 Starlink V2 Mini satellites. Instead of the moment of liftoff, this long exposure records the whole climb as a single curve.

54. CRS-31, Northeast Bound

A Cargo Dragon resupply launch curves away up the coast.

November 4, 2024, 9:29 PM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9 / Cargo Dragon, CRS-31 to the ISS · Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center

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The Story: CRS-31 carried 2,762 kg (6,090 lbs) of supplies to the International Space Station in a Cargo Dragon, launched for NASA from Pad 39A. Booster B1083, on its 5th flight, is the same one that launched "Pad 40 Liftoff: Starlink 6-49" (#6) and "Starlink 6-49 Arc" (#48). The rocket left on a northeast path along the US east coast, and the long exposure shows it as one curving streak.

55. Pink Dawn Streak

A Starlink climb streaks across the colored pre-dawn sky.

July 3, 2024, 5:55 AM EDT · SpaceX Falcon 9, Starlink Group 8-9 · Space Launch Complex 40, Cape Canaveral

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The Story: This is the same July 3 launch as "Purple Ascent" (#10) and "Lagoon Jellyfish at Sunrise" (#11), carrying 20 Starlink satellites, 13 of them Direct to Cell. Here a long exposure records the climb as one glowing streak against the pink pre-dawn sky.

See all 61 nighttime streak photos from my launch galleries

About the Prints

The photos you see on my website are shown at half size or less of my original files.

Sizes (inches): 4x6, 8x12, 10x15, 12x18, 16x24, 20x30 and 24x36 match the 2:3 shape of a full camera frame. 5x7, 8x10, 11x14, 16x20, 24x30 and 30x40 are also available, and may need slight cropping.
Material: Paper, canvas or metal. [Paper type and finish details]
Signature: Every print can be purchased signed or unsigned.
Flight caption: Every print can be purchased with or without the flight caption, the small block of text with the mission, rocket and launch details.
Framing: [Framing options, if offered]
Shipping: [Shipping regions, timing and packaging]
Price: Shown with each print. It updates when you choose a size and material.

Full-size digital copies are also available. Just ask.

To order: Order by email, or email me at Robert.Duvall@RocketmanRobert.com or call +1 321‑408‑8422.

FAQ

How do I order a print?

For now, ordering is by email or phone. Email Robert.Duvall@RocketmanRobert.com or call +1 321‑408‑8422 and tell me the print title (or number) and the size you'd like. I'll take it from there.

I saw a launch you photographed that isn't on this page. Can I get it?

Probably! I shoot many more frames than I can show here, and each launch has its own gallery on my site. Email me the date or mission name, and I'll see what I have. I'm also happy to talk about rocket launch photography work.

Can I see a launch in person?

Yes, and I'd encourage it! Where you should watch depends on which pad the rocket is using. My own photos on this page were taken from Titusville, Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, Playalinda Beach, the NASA press site for a few special missions, and once even West Palm Beach, 125 miles to the south (see "Crew-6 from 125 Miles"). Launch times often shift, and scrubs happen (see "Artemis I, Waiting"), so check the schedule right before you go.

Why do the stories mention booster numbers and flights?

SpaceX reuses its Falcon 9 first stages. After launch they land on a drone ship at sea or back at the Cape, then fly again. Each booster has a serial number, like B1078 or B1080, so you can follow one rocket across several prints on this page. B1078 shows up on its 9th, 21st, 23rd and 30th flights.

Bring the Thrill of a Rocket Launch Home

The Prints

Daytime

2. Artemis I, Waiting

7. Starlink Climb at Dusk

8. Passing the Moon

9. Clearing the Tower: Starlink 6-53

17. Smoke Trail: Starlink 12-26

18. Crew-11 Clears the Tower

20. Sunrise on Launch Morning

22. Artemis II Liftoff

23. Artemis II Ascent

27. Atlas V, Reflected

28. Morning Streak: Starlink 10-43

32. Falcon Heavy and Roman

33. Booster 1095 Comes Home

34. Into Soft Sky: Starlink 10-39

35. Palms and Liftoff, Playalinda

38. Crew-9 Climbs

40. Crew-11 Sunrise at 39A

41. Crew-11 and the Flag

Nighttime

1. Rocket-Made Clouds over Chiefland

3. Artemis I Lights the Night

4. Falcon Heavy, Night Comet

5. Falcon Heavy, Long Trail

6. Pad 40 Liftoff: Starlink 6-49

10. Purple Ascent

11. Lagoon Jellyfish at Sunrise

12. The Last Military Atlas

13. SpainSat Night Fire

14. Ghost Riders in the Sky

15. New Glenn's First Night

16. New Glenn Rising

19. Nusantara Lima by Night

21. Twilight Swirl

25. Atlas V, Up Close

26. Atlas V in Watercolor

29. SXM-11: Fire and Ice

30. SXM-11: Red Ascent

31. Record-Setter Jellyfish

36. Crew-6 from 125 Miles

37. Crew-7 in Red

39. Axiom-4 in Color

Nighttime Streaks

42. Globalstar Climb

24. The Arc

43. Record Flight, Traced in Light

49. Atlas V Arc: Amazon Leo 6

44. Last Light of the Atlas V 551

50. Golden Atlas: Amazon Leo

45. SXM-11 Over the Rooftops

51. Pre-Dawn Sweep: Starlink 10-15

46. 2 AM Starlink Line

52. Cargo Dragon's Path: CRS-33

47. New Glenn's First Climb

53. Starlink 10-18 Under the Clouds

48. Starlink 6-49 Arc

54. CRS-31, Northeast Bound

55. Pink Dawn Streak

About the Prints

FAQ

How do I order a print?

I saw a launch you photographed that isn't on this page. Can I get it?

Can I see a launch in person?

Why do the stories mention booster numbers and flights?