Photographer Captures Rocket Chasing Space Station at Dawn

Sometimes the universe puts on a show that reminds us just how far we've come as a species, and photographer Eric Holland was there to capture it.

On October 13, Holland set up his camera at Indian Harbour Beach, Florida, to film SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket blasting off on NASA's 35th commercial resupply mission. What happened next was pure cosmic choreography that even Hollywood couldn't script better.

As the Falcon 9 roared to life from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, the International Space Station made its own appearance from the top of the frame. Just eight seconds into the timelapse, the bright streak of the ISS appeared heading toward the horizon, racing toward a rendezvous with the Dragon spacecraft chasing it from below.

The video captures the rocket's spectacular exhaust plume expanding into what space watchers call a "jellyfish" formation. As sunrise illuminated the Florida coast, the plume caught the first rays of light while the two stages of the Falcon 9 separated in the predawn sky.

Holland's camera kept rolling as the first stage performed its now-famous return sequence. Around 20 seconds into the video, viewers can watch the boost back burn, re-entry burn, and finally the landing burn as the rocket stage returned safely to Landing Zone 40.

Meanwhile, the second stage continued pushing Dragon toward its orbital destination, following the ISS across the horizon. The jellyfish plume drifted gracefully through the sky, visible long after the successful landing.

Why This Inspires

Just a decade ago, the idea of reusable rockets seemed like science fiction. Now they land themselves while delivering supplies to astronauts living 250 miles above Earth. The fact that a photographer can stand on a beach and capture both a departing rocket and its destination in the same frame shows how routine our relationship with space has become.

NASA's commercial resupply missions represent a new era of space access, where private companies work alongside government agencies to keep the ISS stocked with everything from scientific experiments to fresh food. Each successful mission brings us closer to a future where space is accessible to more people, not fewer.

Holland's timelapse does more than document a rocket launch. It captures a moment when two spacecraft, launched years apart and traveling at different speeds, shared the same patch of Florida sky in perfect timing.

This is what progress looks like when you point a camera at the stars.