GALLERY: News4Jax viewers capture SpaceX launch from NE Florida

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Residents of Northeast Florida captured Friday morning’s SpaceX launch and sent their photos to News4Jax.

Families stepped outside around 5:30 a.m. and spotted the launch.

Photos show the beam of light headed toward space. Some viewers even suspected it was “aliens.” In reality, it was four astronauts who launched into orbit using a recycled rocket and capsule.

RELATED | SpaceX launches 3rd crew with recycled rocket and capsule

The astronauts from the U.S., Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early Saturday morning, following a 23-hour ride in the same Dragon capsule used by SpaceX’s debut crew last May. They’ll spend six months at the orbiting lab.

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