SpaceX late-night rocket launch: List of Florida beaches, parks & best views to watch
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will potentially carry Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit near NASA at around 1:30 a.m. on July 2, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows.
Rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and people beyond Brevard County can sometimes see this phenomenon.
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach and as far south as Vero Beach and West Palm Beach (see videos and photo gallery with this story).
When there's a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there's an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on rocket launches in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them from the Space Coast.
Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, Axiom, ULA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a payload of Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows.
Launch window: 1:29 a.m. ET on Wednesday, July 2
Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Sonic booms: No.
Trajectory: Northeast.
Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser.
Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache.
Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you'll get a view of the rocket launch − in certain areas, you can get an amazing view of SpaceX rocket boosters returning to the pads. The best view to watch a rocket launch from the Space Coast is along the beach. However, visibility will depend on weather conditions and people should make sure not to block traffic or rights of way on bridges and to follow posted rules at beaches.
If you are viewing the launch along the Indian River in Titusville from Space View Park or Parrish Park, look east directly across the river.
If you are farther south along the Indian River, look northeast.
Playalinda Beach or Canaveral National Seashore is the closest spot to view liftoff because it is almost parallel to Launch Pad 39A. On the beach, look south along the coastline, (you can even see the pad from some spots).
Some hotspots to check out:
Jetty Park Beach and Pier, 400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Note, there's a charge to park.
Playalinda Beach, 1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Note, there's a charge to park, and access to Canaveral National Seashore isn't always granted depending on capacity and time of day.
Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park, 1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note, parking is available on both sides of Max Brewer Bridge.
Space View Park, 8 Broad St., Titusville
Sand Point Park, 10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville
Rotary Riverfront Park, 4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville
Riverfront Park at Cocoa Village, 401 Riveredge Blvd., Cocoa (just before State Road 520 Causeway)
Cocoa Village, near the parks and shops or near the docks
Various parks on Merritt Island
Rotary Park, 1899 S. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island
Kiwanis Park on Kiwanis Island Park Road on Merritt Island
Port Canaveral, with ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean at port
Alan Shepard Park, 299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
Cocoa Beach Pier, 401 Meade Ave. Parking fee varies.
Lori Wilson Park, 1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way.
Sidney Fischer Park, 2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Note, there could be parking costs.
Downtown Cocoa Beach, along Minutemen Causeway
Tables Beach, 197 SR A1A, Satellite Beach
The Tides on SR A1A in Satellite Beach
Various parks, including the Pelican Beach Clubhouse, in Satellite Beach
Pineda Causeway
Eau Gallie Causeway
Front Street Park near Melbourne (U.S. 192) Causeway and U.S. 1 in Melbourne
Indialantic boardwalk at Melbourne Causeway and SR A1A
Paradise Beach Park, aka Howard Futch Park, 2301 SR A1A, Melbourne (this is a beachside park)
Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter)
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX rocket launch today? How, where to watch the next rocket launch
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