SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn rocket visible in sky over DC region during Tuesday’s launch

SpaceX rocket seen from DC area

The skies across the DMV lit up this pre-dawn this morning with what many thought was a meteor, and others questioning what they were seeing. It was actually a view of the Polaris Dawn mission going to orbit atop Space X's Falcon 9 rocket.

WASHINGTON - People across the Washington D.C. region were treated to spectacular views of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket early Tuesday morning.

SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn rocket visible in sky over DC region during Tuesday’s launch

People across the Washington D.C. region were treated to spectacular views of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket early Tuesday morning.

The rocket successfully lifted off at 5:23 a.m. ET from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Four private astronauts are onboard as part of the Polaris Program’s first mission, Polaris Dawn.

The multi-day mission will feature the first commercial spacewalk with a next-gen spacesuit and will aim to reach the highest altitude since Apollo.

Polaris Dawn live updates: SpaceX launches 4 private astronauts for historic spacewalk mission Tuesday morning

FOX 5 viewers in parts of Maryland and Virginia sent video and images to the newsroom of the rocket racing through the sky with contrails spread wide behind it.

A viewer from just north of Urbana, Md., sent FOX 5 images and said he was taking his trash out when he glimpsed SpaceX’s Polaris Dawn spacecraft lighting up the sky.

A viewer from just north of Urbana, Md., sent FOX 5 images and said he was taking his trash out when he glimpsed the spacecraft lighting up the sky.

Video from a viewer in Fairfax City, Va., showed the rocket speeding across the night sky.

After completing the up to five-day journey, the Polaris Dawn team will reenter the Earth’s atmosphere to splash down off the coast of Florida.