Viewers monitoring SpaceX's live feed of the latest Starship launch claim to have spotted a "city-sized" alien mothership in the background. The sighting occurred during the 14th mission of the 170-foot vessel, which was officially intended to deploy 26 next-generation satellites into Elon Musk's Starlink network and serve as a trial run for returning astronauts to the Moon and, eventually, Mars.
Technical difficulties and catastrophic ending
The operation encountered significant technical difficulties. SpaceX engineers confirmed that one of Starship's engines failed prematurely, forcing mission controllers to cut the planned duration from 10 hours down to just three hours. Ultimately, the flight ended catastrophically when the $90million (£68m) craft appeared to be executing a flawless controlled descent before erupting into an enormous fireball upon touchdown.
SpaceX released footage of the Starship's final moments and its splashdown through its official channel, though the video feed was terminated moments before the blast. Nevertheless, the live mission broadcast did capture an intriguing anomaly while the craft was in orbit.
Anomaly sparks UFO speculation
Approximately eight minutes into the stream, a small, faintly curved streak of light appeared momentarily in the background, instantly sparking fevered speculation amongst UFO enthusiasts, reports the Daily Star. The enigmatic streak of light set UFO fans' imaginations alight.
UFO encounters in space are far from unprecedented. In 1965, cosmonauts aboard the Soviet Voskhod 2 mission allegedly witnessed an unidentified, cylindrical object during re-entry. That same year, NASA astronauts documented comparable observations on two distinct occasions. In every instance, the phenomena were explained as fragments from the spacecraft itself. Numerous astronauts on subsequent missions filed similar accounts.
Pentagon records and public reactions
This May, a batch of UAP/UFO sighting records and footage disclosed by the Pentagon documented many such incidents, including several reported from the lunar surface.
SpaceX representatives have remained silent on this latest assertion, choosing instead to emphasise what they characterise as the "success" of the mission. Yet on X (formerly known as Twitter), much of the discourse surrounding the Starship launch centred on something visible in the backdrop of the official footage: a small curved segment of pale blue light which appeared to feature a more luminous point at one extremity.
While judging scale and distance proves notoriously challenging, even for specialists, one social media user maintained that the object "looks like a mothership" and added that it was "bigger than a city." Another added "I think we all just saw a UFO live-streamed," while a third person replied: "I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm glad it wasn't just me that saw it."
Alternative explanations and official response
Some social media users linked the unexplained light to the technical difficulties reported by SpaceX engineers, with one posting: "'Hmm, an engine out and then an alien battle cruiser uncloaks. Interesting." More pragmatic theories surrounding the peculiar observation proposed it could be sunlight bouncing off NASA's International Space Station, or perhaps simply a vapour trail left by the Super Heavy booster as its engines powered down following separation before reigniting for the journey back to Earth.
Neither SpaceX nor boss Elon Musk have issued any official statement regarding the speculation. NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman praised the company's technical team for the successful launch, posting: "Gorgeous launch, getting Ship to orbit and managing every step in a safe, responsible, and especially inspirational way." He added: "NASA, along with the rest of the interested public, is excited to help where we can and for Starship missions to become routine!"
