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

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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.

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

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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.