On the night of August 12, 2025, a series of unusual lights observed across the U.S. East Coast, initially sparking widespread curiosity and speculation on social media, have been identified as the result of two significant rocket launches occurring in close succession. Derrick Pitts, chief astronomer at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia, explained that the aerial display was caused by the Ariane 6 rocket and the United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket.
The Ariane 6 rocket, mission VA264, launched from Kourou, French Guiana, at 8:37 p.m. Eastern Time, deploying the Metop-SGA1 weather satellite into a polar orbit. This satellite is crucial for enhanced global weather and climate observation. Approximately twenty minutes later, at 8:56 p.m. Eastern Time, the Vulcan rocket, mission USSF-106, launched from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Its payload included the Navigation Technology Satellite-3 (NTS-3), an experimental satellite designed to improve navigation and timing signals' resilience against jamming and spoofing. Pitts noted that the trajectories of both rockets carried them over the Atlantic Ocean, making them visible from the East Coast, a less common sight for the Northeastern United States compared to regions like Florida or the West Coast.