SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch photos taken from inside Disney World are amazing

Disney/Kent Phillips

Walt Disney World may be “the Most Magical Place on Earth” but on April 23, the sky above the Orlando resort reminded onlookers of a galaxy far, far away. An early-morning launch of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center made for some incredible photos captured by Disney photographers over Magic Kingdom park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

SpaceX launched its Crew-2 mission that morning at 5:49 a.m. ET. The rocket carried a Crew Dragon capsule with four astronauts who docked with the International Space Station 24 hours later.

A Trip To Space As Seen Above Space Mountain

In this incredible shot fittingly captured above Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom park, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, with Crew Dragon atop, blasts off over Space Mountain.

Disney/Kent Phillips, photographer

Scenes From Galaxy’s Edge

Fictional blast-offs are a regular occurrence from Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where guests can take flight on the fastest hunk of junk in the galaxy on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and travel via transport ship to a First Order star destroyer on Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. This immersive land looks even more realistic with the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket overhead.

Disney/David Roark, photographer

In the photo below, a vapor trail hangs in the air above Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge following the early-morning launch. The life-sized Millennium Falcon and the transport ship docked atop quick-service restaurant Docking Bay 7 Food & Cargo make this look like a scene straight from a “Star Wars” movie.

Disney/David Roark

Magic In The Air Over Magic Kingdom

It certainly made for a magical morning to see this swirling vapor trail from the launch also hanging over Cinderella Castle at Magic Kingdom. The castle has been getting a serious glow-up in preparation for Walt Disney World’s 50th Anniversary celebration set to begin in October and this breathtaking sky overhead created a magical scene.

Disney/Kent Phillips

If the thought of space travel puts stars in your eyes, you’re not alone. In March, Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa signed up for a trip to the moon aboard Elon Musk‘s SpaceX flight and offered to pay for the trips of passengers willing to join him.

Meanwhile, SpaceX is now gearing up for another 10 weeks of launches of Starlink, Musk’s internet satellite system, along with Cargo Dragon capsules and commercial satellites.

What do you think about blasting off aboard a SpaceX flight to space?

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About the Author
Brooke McDonald
Brooke McDonald is theme park, travel and entertainment journalist with an emphasis on all things Disney and Star Wars. Her work has appeared in Insider, The Points Guy, Parents, TravelPulse, MSN, CNBC, Attractions Magazine and more.

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