A late-night weekend rocket launch in beautiful, breezy, springtime Florida? That’s the (potential) plan!
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will carry Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit near NASA, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows. Launch time and day for SpaceX is possibly after midnight (see below).
Rockets launch from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Florida, in Brevard County, which is an hour east of the Orlando theme parks. Depending on cloud cover, weather and visibility, people from Jacksonville to Daytona Beach to Vero Beach and West Palm Beach might see a nice streak in the sky — given the proximity to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Below are suggestions on where to watch the rocket launch from this area and other things to know. If there are changes to the launch schedule, this story will be updated.
Rocket launch calendar: Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or Space Repoter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Where can I see a rocket launch in Florida? Are there sonic booms with every launch from Cape Canaveral or Kennedy Space Center?
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, rocket launches from the Space Coast could be visible from almost every part of Brevard County. Night launches, in particular, offer a beautiful view. After launch, there’s typically a rumble here and some possible window-shaking.
Some rocket launches have an added bonus: The SpaceX boosters return to a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean or, occasionally, to the company’s landing zone at Cape Canaveral. If a booster returns to the landing zone, there’s a sonic boom.
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.
What time is the next rocket launch from Florida? Saturday, May 10: SpaceX Starlink 6-91
Mission: Though SpaceX has yet to publicly announce this mission, a 4½-hour Starlink post-midnight launch window will open Saturday, May 10, 2025, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory indicates.
Launch window time and day: 2:28 a.m. EDT Saturday, May 10, 2025, to 6:59 a.m. EDT Sunday, May 11, 2025, or Mother’s Day
Location of rocket launch: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida
Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: 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 floridatoday.com/space into your browser.
Live weather radar: Will it rain in Melbourne, Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral, Florida, today? Will weather cancel a rocket launch?
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.
Where to see SpaceX, NASA or Atlas V rocket launch in Jacksonville, Florida. Can you see rocket launch in Duval County, Florida?
Depending on trajectory, weather and cloud cover, there have been sightings of a SpaceX Falcon 9 or United Launch Alliance Delta Heavy rocket launch over the skies of Jacksonville, Florida, which is north of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
Where to see a rocket launch in Jacksonville, Florida, area:
Jacksonville Beach, Florida
Neptune Beach, Florida, which blends into Atlantic Beach
Atlantic Beach and West Atlantic Beach, Florida
Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, which touches south Jacksonville Beach
St. Augustine, Florida, which is less than an hour away and considered by some locals as part of the Jacksonville, Florida, area (even though it’s not).
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: What time is SpaceX rocket launch near NASA, Kennedy Space Center?