The SpaceX Starship lifts off from the launchpad during a flight test from Starbase in Boca Chica, Texas, on April 20, 2023. The rocket successfully blasted off at 8:33 am Central Time (1333 GMT). The Starship capsule had been scheduled to separate from the first-stage rocket booster three minutes into the flight but separation failed to occur and the rocket blew up. (Patrick T. Fallon/AFP/Getty Images)

When Kelly Raulston was planning her trip to south Texas, she had no idea witnessing history would be on the itinerary.

Raulston, Realtor at East Texas Preferred Properties and chairperson of the Greater Tyler Association of Realtors, traveled to South Padre Island for a Texas Realtors conference. She was just grabbing coffee at a local shop Thursday morning when she heard an incredible sound.

“All of the sudden, the building started to rumble and we heard this low, low bass-like sound, almost like a car driving by with really loud music,” Raulston said. “But no, it was the rocket. I went outside immediately, left my wallet in the coffee shop and everything, and just started filming on my phone right away so I could capture this moment.”

Raulston and other witnesses stood with their eyes looking nowhere but up, witnessing SpaceX’s massive Starship rocket soaring across the sky.

“It was the loudest sound I’ve ever heard,” Raulston said. “It was just incredible.”

The rocket — currently the most powerful in the world — lifted off from the company’s launch site near Boca Chica around 8:33 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Times. After passing through the moment of peak mechanical stress on the rocket, the Super Heavy first-stage booster was set to separate from the Starship spacecraft. But instead of separating, the still-conjoined rocket tumbled head over head before it ultimately exploded.

“All of the sudden people around me start to say something doesn’t look right,” Raulston said. “I don’t know anything about rockets to know whether what I’m seeing is normal or not; I’m just a civilian, not a scientist or anything. But toward the end of my video, you can see fire coming from the rocket.”

About 10 to 15 minutes later, Raulston was inside the conference convention center when she said she heard fellow Realtors talking about how news media were reporting the rocket had exploded.

“My first thought was I hope no one was hurt,” Raulston said.

There were no injuries or property damage reported after the explosion, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Although she didn’t make special plans to view the rocket launch, Raulston was ecstatic to have the opportunity to view it and be at the right place at the right time. It’s something she’ll always remember and a story she can share with others back home.

“For us to be able to capture this moment for Tyler, Texas, and to be an eyewitness viewer here, it’s really incredible,” Raulston said.

When she boarded a plane in Dallas on Wednesday, Raulston had been so busy in her daily life as a Realtor and preparing for the Texas Realtors Real Estate Bar Camp that she wasn’t keeping up with the news very much.

“I didn’t even realize I’d be there when this rocket launch was scheduled,” Raulston said. “I noticed a lot of people from all over the world on our plane and started to wonder why everyone was flying to south Texas on this particular day.”

Being the conversational, friendly person she is, Raulston struck up a conversation with a passenger next to her, who was from China.

“I ask what they’re traveling for, and they say the rocket launch, and I realize many others are on board for the same thing,” Raulston said.

She encouraged people to follow the news and stay up to date with current events because you never know when to “expect the unexpected.”

“It’s really cool that a normal everyday activity of grabbing coffee was interrupted by the fact this awesome historical event was happening,” Raulston said. “You never know when you might experience something like that.”