Looking up at half moon I saw a dot moving East Southeast which I watched for about 15 seconds which then blinked red and disappeared

I went out on my back kitchen porch as my coffee was brewing to take a look at the moon and predawn sky...
Looking up at the 1/2 moon and red star(Mars I assume) nearby I noticed a dot(light) moving in an East Southeast direction between the moon and the red star(Mars)...
The direction of the object was unusual as it is not a regular flight path of commercial aviation from my regular observations...
There were no blinking lights or other typical aircraft identification signals; no jet exhaust sounds; just a dot of light moving East Southeast...
So I assumed it was very high in the sky or orbital...
I watched the object, moving at a steady speed, for about 15 seconds when it seemed to stop, blink red, and disappear...
The blink of red was followed, I think, by a momentary fade; a millisecond, to orange, before disappearing...
I thought it might be an orbital rocket whose booster fired however there was no visible separation of the object into 2 parts or visual evidence there of...
And after the object blinked red it just vanished...
I checked online regarding rocket launches and there was one reportedly planned, by China, for a launch 3 hours prior to my sighting. Perhaps that is what I saw; the booster firing to lift the 2nd stage into higher orbit...
I don't know if that is what I witnessed. but it was something so unusual that I thought I should report it...