See photos from SpaceX’s nighttime Bandwagon-4 launch at Cape Canaveral

SpaceX’s Bandwagon-4 rideshare mission lifted off from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station at 1:09 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 2, in a dramatic nighttime launch captured in a series of photographs taken just before daylight saving time.

The Falcon 9 deployed 18 payloads into low‑Earth orbit during the mission.

After stage separation, the first‑stage booster returned to Landing Zone 2, producing audible sonic booms as it descended and touched down.

Photographers recorded the night launch and recovery, documenting the illuminated plume, staging event and the booster’s controlled return to the Florida landing zone.

The images highlight the key facts of the Bandwagon‑4 rideshare: the liftoff time, the 18 payload deployments into low‑Earth orbit and the successful first‑stage recovery at Landing Zone 2.

These photos provide a clear visual record of the mission’s main milestones at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and the nighttime conditions that made the launch especially striking.