Questions about the SpaceX launch of 24th of March?

[Ludvig Mörtberg]

Hello fellow space enthusiasts!

I have several questions about a SpaceX launch that took place on 24th of March this year from Cape Canaveral, Florida. March 24, 2025, 17:48 (GMT) to be precise. It's number was Flight No. 451. The questions may be impossible to answer because the mission was secret. But I ask anyway, hoping that someone may sit on some relevant info.

And the questions are: can something be said about the orbit, orbital height or direction of launch?

I'm trying to determine if the orbit is consistent with the trajectory of the mysterious blue spiral that was observed in Europe hours later.

Best regards,

Ludvig Mörtberg from Sweden

 

[COLGeek]

Yes, the spiral was that launch.

See it: Florida SpaceX launch produces dazzling blue spiral in night sky above Europe

A SpaceX rocket launch from Florida on Monday afternoon produced a dazzling display in the night sky above Europe, leading to some people asking Elon Musk what they were witnessing.

www.foxweather.com

 

[Hevach]

Technical details for satellite USA 498

...

www.n2yo.com

COSPAR ID is 2025-060A, NORAD ID 63350.
1019.1x1206.5 km orbit at inclination 63.4, 107.4 minute period.

There's not really "stealth" in space. You can classify what a payload is and obfuscate what it's doing but where it is is easily trackable.

 

[Ludvig Mörtberg]

Technical details for satellite USA 498

...

www.n2yo.com

COSPAR ID is 2025-060A, NORAD ID 63350.
1019.1x1206.5 km orbit at inclination 63.4, 107.4 minute period.

There's not really "stealth" in space. You can classify what a payload is and obfuscate what it's doing but where it is is easily trackable.

Thank you for your reply! Very valuable info for me. Now, I have a follow-up question and that is if the rocket that put the satellite in orbit could have delivered more than one satellite? Perhaps in an orbit higher up? Or is that impossible? Best regards, Ludvig Mörtberg

 

[Ludvig Mörtberg]

Hello everyone again,

The second stage of a SpaceX rocket delivers a payload into orbit. Now, after that, are the rocket engines started to decelerate the spacecraft so that it falls back to earth and burns up in the atmosphere? If so, can that be seen? Has anyone here seen it?

A second question is how much fuel the second stage contains? I'm particularly interested in the launch of 24th of March last month. Was the fuel Kerosene or Methane? Is that information public? I presume that the oxidizer was liquid Oxygene.

I'm looking for information that can help me determine if the blue spiral observed in Europe was actually caused by a SpaceX rocket or something else.

Best regards,

Ludvig Mörtberg

 

[COLGeek]

As noted above, the observed spiral you noted was indeed a result of the launch in question.

 

[Hevach]

Thank you for your reply! Very valuable info for me. Now, I have a follow-up question and that is if the rocket that put the satellite in orbit could have delivered more than one satellite? Perhaps in an orbit higher up? Or is that impossible? Best regards, Ludvig Mörtberg

As I said, there's not really stealth in space. We do see payloads release secondary payloads either into co-orbit or into distinct orbits, and those get their own COSPAR/NORAD IDs. This is quite common in classified launches as well, but there's no additional IDs for this launch.

The blue spiral was this launch. It's a common feature of Falcon launches as the second stage self-disposes in the atmosphere. Falcon is a kerosene/liquid oxygen ("kerolox") rocket.

 

[Ludvig Mörtberg]

As I said, there's not really stealth in space. We do see payloads release secondary payloads either into co-orbit or into distinct orbits, and those get their own COSPAR/NORAD IDs. This is quite common in classified launches as well, but there's no additional IDs for this launch.

The blue spiral was this launch. It's a common feature of Falcon launches as the second stage self-disposes in the atmosphere. Falcon is a kerosene/liquid oxygen ("kerolox") rocket.

And thanks again for you reply! I'm skeptical that the blue spiral can be explained with a SpaceX rocket dumping fuel. I was in contact, on another forum, here in Sweden, with a man that observed and filmed the blue spiral (on 24th of March) for 20 minutes+ when it moved from horizon to horizon. That is not consistent with a rocket at approximately 100 km altitude. The pass time is simply too long.

 

[Ludvig Mörtberg]

And thanks again for you reply! I'm skeptical that the blue spiral can be explained with a SpaceX rocket dumping fuel. I was in contact, on another forum, here in Sweden, with a man that observed and filmed the blue spiral (on 24th of March) for 20 minutes+ when it moved from horizon to horizon. That is not consistent with a rocket at approximately 100 km altitude. The pass time is simply too long.

Wait, it's not 100 km altitude, but 1000 km altitude. Should take something like 16 minutes from horizon to horizon. Ehrmm, that could perhaps be consistent, with the SpaceX rocket second stage. The guy who saw it and filmed it wrote that he first saw it in the north-north-west, and that it moved across the sky overhead. Direction may fit the SpaceX rocket. There are other questions though. Do SpaceX rockets (the second stage) really have symmetrically placed nozzles to dump fuel through, that cause rotation of the spacecraft? And why should the whole thing be blue or visible at all? If it's at a distance of 1000 km+ and the blue spiral is as large as the full moon, then the spiral should be 10 km across! And all that from a few tons of extra fuel!

 

[Ludvig Mörtberg]

Wait, it's not 100 km altitude, but 1000 km altitude. Should take something like 16 minutes from horizon to horizon. Ehrmm, that could perhaps be consistent, with the SpaceX rocket second stage. The guy who saw it and filmed it wrote that he first saw it in the north-north-west, and that it moved across the sky overhead. Direction may fit the SpaceX rocket. There are other questions though. Do SpaceX rockets (the second stage) really have symmetrically placed nozzles to dump fuel through, that cause rotation of the spacecraft? And why should the whole thing be blue or visible at all? If it's at a distance of 1000 km+ and the blue spiral is as large as the full moon, then the spiral should be 10 km across! And all that from a few tons of extra fuel!

Another thing; is it possible to run the satellite tracker that you provided a link to "backwards" to show where the satellite actually was at 9 pm on the 24th of March? Of course the delivery rocket may be in another position if it fires it's engines to slow down to fall back to earth...