Video Shows Space Rocket Launch Captured by Airline Passenger

A video captured by a passenger on a passing plane showing the moment Japan's flagship space rocket pierced the heavens has gone viral.

"The captain made an announcement, and we watched the launch of the H3 rocket from the plane," wrote the passenger, who uploaded the footage on X, formerly Twitter, on Friday morning.

The H3 took off at 9:23 a.m. local time from Tanegashima island in the southwestern prefecture of Kagoshima. It was the first time the 297-foot H3 had successfully reached orbit; the previous attempt to launch the rocket ended in failure last March after its second-stage engine failed to ignite.

The perfectly timed video captured the moment the rocket blasted its way into the upper reaches of the atmosphere, from the vantage point of a window above the left wing of the aircraft. The serpentine column of exhaust can be seen spiraling downward through the cloud cover.

As of Monday morning, the post had garnered 7.8 million views, 184,000 likes, and 46,000 re-posts.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) said the launch had proceeded as planned and that the second stage of the H3 had achieved controlled reentry into the atmosphere.

The separation of the two earth observation micro-satellites onboard, produced by Canon Electronics and Seiren, was confirmed 16 minutes and 43 seconds after liftoff, the agency said.

The H3's doomed maiden voyage last March cost the country its $280-million ALOS-3 earth observation satellite.

"JAXA appreciates all for the support shown in [sic] behalf of the launch of the second H3 Launch Vehicle," JAXA said in its press statement.

JAXA did not immediately respond to Newsweek's written request for comment.

"I would like to express my respect for the efforts of everyone involved over the years and hope that Japan's flagship rockets will continue to steadily accumulate achievements," Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida posted on X.

At $33 million, the H3 has been billed as a cheaper alternative to SpaceX's Falcon 9 medium-launch vehicle.

The launch was the second in as many months for the country's space agency. Lunar landing craft SLIM (Smart Lander for Investigating Moon) achieved a precise touchdown just 328 feet from its planned landing site on January 19.

In addition to demonstrating a "pinpoint" landing, the craft was tasked with showcasing the potential of "technology fundamental to exploration in low-gravity environments," according to JAXA.

Japan is just the fifth country to achieve a lunar landing, after the United States, the Soviet Union, India and China.