A mysterious spacecraft in the background of the SpaceX Starship Flight 14 livestream caught attention and quickly sparked speculation that it might be a UFO. The unexplained object first appeared about six minutes into the broadcast, as Starship passed over Texas and deployed 26 new Starlink V3 satellites.
Skeptics say the object looks like a streak of light left by the Super Heavy booster or the ship’s engines. After separating from Starship, the booster flipped and fired its engine to head back.
From Starship’s point of view, the booster was hidden below the horizon. Its trail rose into sunlight behind Earth, creating a glowing blue-white streak.
Propellants can expand in the upper atmosphere and catch sunlight, creating a bright patch in the dark sky. This effect is often called a ‘space jellyfish’. Some analysts also think debris, like a chunk of ice from the vehicle or frozen propellant, could be responsible.
Ice is very reflective and can show up as a streak of light on camera. The mysterious UFO might also just be light bouncing off particles in the upper atmosphere.
Some people who believe in the alien-mothership theory say the streak of light looks like a continuous arc with bright spots, similar to a UFO. Others argue it was not a ship at all, but a watcher drone sent by an advanced civilization to observe humanity.
Theories about the UFO later shifted from aliens to the US military. Some said the object looked like the TR-3B Black Manta, a rumored secret reconnaissance aircraft.
SpaceX and NASA have not made any official statements about the sighting. However, Elon Musk has said several times that, even after launching thousands of Starlink satellites, he has never found credible evidence of aliens.
