SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch Looked Like Gears Of War’s Hammer Of Dawn

The SpaceX Falcon 9 launch looked like Gears of War’s Hammer of Dawn, and observant fans likened it to a real-life orbital strike. The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carried the Crew Dragon capsule from the Kennedy Space Center into Earth’s orbit on Wednesday, November 10, marking the 600th person to visit space in just 60 years. The historic launch was met with some unexpected delays, but the Crew-3 astronauts are now en route to the International Space Station. And while the launch was a life-changing experience for the astronauts, it also provided quite the spectacle for spectators on Earth’s surface with some comparing it to the infamous Hammer of Dawn.

The Hammer of Dawn is an orbital satellite-based laser from the Gears of War franchise. The sci-fi weaponry was first seen in Gears of War (2006) and made several appearances in both the video game installments, as well as books and comics that expand the Gears story. The Hammer of Dawn rains down devastating particle beams from orbit and can take out valuable assets down on the ground. The weapon’s deadly beam can wipe out full squads and entire cities and is deemed the most powerful COG weapon. As a large part of Gears of War lore, the Hammer of Dawn has done some serious damage over the franchise’s long history.

According to Twitter user Cliff Bleszinski, the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch looked just like Gears of War’s Hammer of Dawn, but thankfully without the devastating effects. A picture from Wednesday night’s launch of Crew-3 looked like a scene from a possible Gears of War film adaptation. In the picture, what appeared to be a particle beam can be seen shooting down from Earth’s orbit, like a real-life version of the Hammer of Dawn’s powerful laser.

The glowing beam was not a laser, despite looking like something from Gears of War. Instead, it was the powerful residue from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. The fuel needed to lift such a rocket caused a fiery exhaust, that when combined with the cloudy weather conditions made it appear like a sci-fi laser. The extraordinary visual was the combination of the extreme light emitted from the exhaust and the fog that gave it a beam-like appearance. From afar, the illuminated line stretching from the surface into orbit could be understandable mistaken for an attack from the Hammer of Dawn.

Considering the wait for Gear of War 6 continues to extend, the launch was likely a pleasant sight for Gears of War fans patiently awaiting the next installment. Thankfully the Hammer of Dawn from Gears of War is fictitious and the Falcon 9 rocket had a more noble cause than unleashing a devastating beam on the Kennedy Space Station.

Source: Cliff Bleszinski/Twitter

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Alden Etra
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Alden is a freelance gaming news writer for Screen Rant. He has a love for video games and tabletop board games, and is an avid fan of all things sci-fi/fantasy.

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