Recently, a KLM crew heading to the United States enjoyed a unique sight as they approached their destination. Not only did they view the spectacle for themselves, but the first officer on the flight managed to capture the moment on video and has shared the footage on his social media for others to enjoy.
Unusual sighting
It's not every day that you get to enjoy the unparalleled experience of a rocket launch - to be more specific, an air-to-air view of the rocket as it soars above you on its way into space. But that is precisely what the crew of a KLM flight experienced on a recent flight across the Atlantic as they approached the Florida coastline off the eastern seaboard of the United States.
Fast-thinking KLM first officer Vincent Hoekveld not only managed to make visual contact with the rocket on its ascent, a SpaceX Falcon 9 Heavy rocket, but also managed to capture the sight on his phone from the right-hand seat of his Airbus A330 as it headed towards Miami, Florida.
The flight in question was KLM flight KL627 on January 15th, 2023. The flight, operated by an Airbus A330 registered PH-AKF, left Amsterdam Schipol Airport (AMS) at 1610 local time for the ten-hour flight to Miami. The flight was scheduled to land at Miami International Airport at 20:20, although it arrived slightly ahead of schedule at 20:17.
An identified flying object
On his LinkedIn feed, Vincent Hoekveld states that the crew had been informed before leaving Amsterdam via a NOTAM that the launch was due and that it might be around the time that flight KL627 would be in the general area. Furthermore, air traffic controllers kept the flight crew updated as they made their oceanic crossing toward the Florida coastline.
On his LinkedIn feed, First Officer Hoekveld explains his first reaction on sighting the rocket, stating,
"The first second, I thought it was sunrise though, but immediately realized that it wasn't possible at that place and moment and concluded it was the launch."
What does the footage show?
The 25-second-long footage appears to show the Falcon 9 accelerating into orbit at the final moment of the core stage burn, followed by stage separation and the second stage burn, which propels the rocket towards its final destination.
Additionally, if one watches closely at the start of the sequence, the separation of the two side-mounted boosters can also be made out as they fall back towards the Kennedy Space Center, where they make a faultless double landing sometime later.
Where exactly was the footage shot?
According to First Officer Hoekveld, along with data obtained from Flightradar24, the KLM flight was about to start its descent into Miami at the time of the close encounter. Flight KL627 was flying at around 39,000ft (11,887 meters) with a ground speed of 443 knots.
The viewing time appears to have been around 18:13 Eastern Standard Time (23:13 UTC). The official time given by NASA for the launch was 17:56 EST (22:56 UTC).
According to Vincent Hoekveld himself, he states that although the rocket might appear close from the footage, he estimates that flight KL627 was, in fact, approximately 687 miles (1,100 km) from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at the time of the viewing.
Details of the mission
According to the official NASA Kennedy Space Center website, the rocket observed by the crew of KLM flight KL627 was a SpaceX-operated Falcon 9 Heavy rocket with the assigned mission code of USSF67. The launch had been scrubbed the previous day for operational reasons, to the disappointment of many, but to the benefit of the crew of KL627.
The USSF67 mission was planned to launch the US Space Force's second Continuous Broadcast Augmenting SATCOM, or CBAS 2, communications satellite and the Long Duration Propulsive ESPA 3A, or LDPE 3A, rideshare satellite hosting multiple experimental payloads.
For this launch, the Falcon Heavy's two side boosters were expected to detach from the rocket first (as seen in the video above) to subsequently land on landing zone 1 and landing zone 2 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Meanwhile, the core stage would be expended on the ascent to space.
During the simultaneous double landing of the boosters, they can be seen descending back towards the landing zones, during which they experience a unique, double sonic boom on their re-entry.
The video below shows the entire launch sequence of USSF67, followed by the double landing of the boosters back at the same point they launched from a few minutes previously.
An out-of-this-world experience
The launch of space vehicles has become far more frequent in recent years thanks to the likes of SpaceX, Virgin Orbit, and others. However, the incredible sight of a rocket blasting off and heading to space has not lost any of the spectacle and wonder such launches can offer over the decades.
Occasionally things go wrong, and launches don't go according to plan. This was seen just recently with the failed launch of several satellites from Virgin Orbit's Boeing 747-400 'Cosmic Girl,' which departed from Newquay Airport in Cornwall, England - the first mission of this type launched from UK soil.
That said, when launches proceed as planned, they can provide a wonderful sight to all those observing. The crew of KLM flight 627 may have been in the right place at the right time on this occasion, yet having the foresight to capture the phenomenon on video for the rest of us to share and enjoy is highly commendable.
Have you ever been fortunate enough to watch a space launch in person? Tell us all about it in the comments below.
Sources: LinkedIn, NASA, Flightradar24, YouTube