A frog photobombed NASA's launch of its new Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) spacecraft headed for the moon.

The spacecraft launched at Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island in Virginia but the powerful force of the blast caused a frog to also launch into the air.

NASA's photos shows the creature high up in the air next to the spacecraft.

The silhouette of the frog can be seen against the flames and smoke.

NASA has confirmed that the image was real in the description of the photo which reads: "The photo team confirms the frog is real and was captured in a single frame by one of the remote cameras used to photograph the launch. The condition of the frog, however, is uncertain."

The LADEE will investigate the lunar dust and the moon's atmosphere in a month-long journey. The spacecraft is the first ot launch from NASA's Virginia facility, which neighbors the Wallops Island National Wildlife Refuge.

This is not the first time a creature was photographed at a spacecraft launch.

A bat was photographed sticking to the tank of the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2009 and quickly became known as the "Space Bat." At the time, NASA said, "Based on images and video, a wildlife expert who provides support to the center said the small creature was a free tail bat that likely had a broken left wing and some problem with its right shoulder or wrist. The animal likely perished quickly during Discovery's climb into orbit."

NASA's LADEE mission is worth $280 million.