On 28 April 2025, the Atlas V launch took an Amazon Kuiper satellite into orbit, but this article won’t focus on the launch event, but something spectacular. Popular space photographer Andrew McCarthy was live at the launch event, and he took some mind-blowing images of the rocket launch.

Close-Up Images Of The Atlas V Launch

During the Atlas V rocket launch events, attendees are often stationed at a good distance from the launch pad to ensure their safety, as the launching rocket can produce flames and fumes that are harmful to human health.

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For this reason, most rocket launch images that you might have come across are often taken from a distance. While the photographers ensure to use of powerful camera lenses, the images might not be as close as we desire them to be.

Andrew McCarthy changed this experience for most space enthusiasts during the last Atlas V launch. He figured that while humans need to stay far away from the launch pad during takeoff, cameras might not need to do the same.

So he mounted one of his cameras close to the launch pad and moved to the designated area for attendees. After the launch, he returned to retrieve his camera, whose lens was destroyed by the launch, revealing some impressive close-up images of the rocket launch.

The shots from his camera have given us a closer view of a rocket launching from its pad. From the shots, we can see the boosters firing, propelling the rocket off the launch pad and into the sky.

Andrew McCarthy Promises More Close-Up Rocket Launch Images

After posting the shots he took with his close-up camera on his official X page, McCarthy gathered over 10,000 likes and 250,000 views over a few days. He adds in the post that he has “something even bigger planned,” pointing to the next launch.

While we aren’t exactly sure which launch this will be, we can pay attention to his page for more images. The next Atlas V launch is scheduled for Q2 2025 and will take a ViaSat 3 EMEA satellite to space for the United Launch Alliance (ULA).

This might be the next launch that Andrew McCarthy is pointing to for the next set of close-up images. You can check out McCarthy’s official X page for these images, as he will upload them there once available.