PHOTOS: SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blazes trail across the sky

TUCSON, Ariz. (KOLD/Gray News) – Many people near the West Coast were treated to a light show Thursday night as SpaceX launched one of its Falcon 9 rockets.

SpaceX launched 53 Starlink broadband satellites and a Falcon 9 rocket from the Vandenburg Space Force Base in California shortly after 6 p.m.

This was the eighth liftoff and landing for this particular booster, according to a SpaceX mission description.

The Falcon’s first stage was expected to return to Earth shortly after the launch, while the upper stage is expected to continue towards orbit and deploy the Starlinks.