Blazing Rocket Turns Night Into Day Over Japan’s Coast as Mars Moon Mission Blasts Off

Japan’s H3 rocket blazed into the dark sky before dawn on Tuesday, October 20, carrying a spacecraft bound for the moons of Mars.

X user Camille filmed the launch from across the water, as the rocket’s bright flame rose above the horizon, lighting up the sea and clouds before shrinking to a glowing point high in the sky. “The rocket launch was amazing,” the filmer wrote.

The H3 lifted off from the Tanegashima Space Center at 4:41 a.m. local time carrying the Martian Moons eXploration probe, which aims to land on Phobos, collect samples and bring them back to Earth. The spacecraft separated from the rocket about 71 minutes after launch, according to Japan’s space agency.