Video has been released showing the unmanned Atlas 5 rocket emitting a strange blue light after blasting off from its launchpad in Florida.

After successfully launching on 2 September, the 20-story tall spacecraft creates a unique blue light as it soared through space.

The rocket, manufactured and launched by United Launch Alliance, forms part of a mission to put a next-generation communications satellite into orbit for the U.S. military.

Perched on top of the rocket was the fourth satellite in the U.S. Navy's $7.3bn (£4.8bn) Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) network, which is intended to provide 3G-cellular technology to vehicles, ships, submarines, aircraft and troops on the move.

The satellites are designed to provide secure voice conversations, networked conference calls and data relay services, including video, worldwide. They work like cell phone towers, with four ground stations handling switching and routing.

The MUOS network will supplement and eventually replace the Navy's Ultra High Frequency Follow-On satellite system to provide 16 times more capacity than the current network, the Navy said.

Video courtesy of United Launch Alliance

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