When is the launch, where to watch in Vero Beach, Sebastian

SpaceX hopes to complete two more rocket launches before the year ends – bringing Florida’s record year to 93 launches.

Federal Aviation Administration alerts show two possible launches in the coming days: another attempt at the Astranis mission and the SpaceX Starlink 12-6 mission – and parts of the Treasure Coast might get a good view of them.

SpaceX may be targeting Sunday, December 29, and Monday, December 30, ahead of New Year’s Eve, to launch a series of Astranis satellites and Starlink Internet satellites from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Florida. Depending on cloud cover, weather and visibility, people in the Sebastian Inlet or Vero Beach area may see a nice streak in the sky – given the proximity to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

If you’re keeping watch, Florida has already broken the record for orbital rocket launches in a year, with the majority of missions flying from SpaceX in 2024. In 2023, SpaceX also helped break the record for rocket launches per year – adding to the 72 launches completed near Cape Canaveral. As of Friday, December 27, there have been more than 90 orbital rocket launches from the neighboring Space Coast in 2024.

Below are suggestions on where to watch the rocket launch from this area and other things you need to know. If there are any changes to the launch schedule, this story will be updated.

For questions or comments, please email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.

Can you see a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral near Sebastian, Vero Beach or Stuart, Florida?

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, rocket launches – especially nighttime launches – from the neighboring Space Coast may be visible in the Treasure Coast area, especially from Sebastian Inlet, Vero Beach or other parts of Indian River County. Night launches in particular provide beautiful views.

If there is a launch window in the middle of the night or very early in the morning, there is a chance for unique photos: the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail behind it makes for a great photo.

Is there a rocket launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule from Florida

Is there a rocket launch from Florida? Next up is Sunday, December 29: SpaceX Astranis

• Mission: After a rare abort and early scrub on the second attempt, SpaceX has yet to confirm a launch date for the Astranis satellites. According to Geospatial Navigational Warnings, the Astranis mission will launch no earlier than this date. Although SpaceX has yet to confirm, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Geospatial Navigational Warnings indicate the company will make another attempt in the first hour of Sunday, December 29. The launch is currently expected at midnight, but the window extends to 3:02 am. am if necessary. The launch will take place from Cape Canaveral Space Launch Complex 40, and the rocket will follow a trajectory to the east.

• Start window: 12:00 PM (midnight) EDT Sunday, December 29

• Location: Launch Pad 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station

• Booster landing: In this mission, the first phase boosters will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean; sound waves in Florida are not expected.

• Live coverage begins 90 minutes before launch at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which includes FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visual journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide timely updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before launch. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space in your browser.

When is the SpaceX rocket launch from Florida? Monday, December 30: SpaceX Starlink 12-6

Although SpaceX has yet to announce this mission, a navigation alert from the Federal Aviation Administration shows a launch window titled Starlink 12-6 – from the Kennedy Space Center.

• Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch the next batch of Starlink internet satellites into low Earth orbit.

• Start window: 12:00 AM (midnight) to 3:59 AM EDT Monday

• Location: Kennedy Space Center Pad 39A

• Booster landing: During this mission, the first stage boosters will land on a drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean – sonic booms are not expected in Florida.

• Live coverage begins 90 minutes before launch at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which includes FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visual journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide timely updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before launch. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space in your browser.

Live weather radar for Sebastian, Vero Beach, Port St. Lucie and Fort Pierce, Florida. Will it cancel another rocket launch?

Shown is National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows real-time conditions for the Treasure Coast (Indian River County, Martin County and St. Lucie County) and other parts of Florida. The current date and time appear in the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise you may need to clear your cache.

Where to see a Florida rocket launch in Indian River County: What does the Treasure Coast rocket launch display look like?

The best views to see a rocket launch from neighboring Brevard County, also called the Space Coast, are along the beach here. Visibility in Indian River County, St. Lucie County and Martin County, part of the Treasure Coast, will depend on weather conditions, and people should take care not to block traffic or passage on bridges and to avoid staying on beaches stick to the rules. Look due north.

• You can see the rocket launch almost anywhere in Brevard. That includes south of Melbourne Beachthat borders Indian River County, or from Grant-Valkaria along the Indian River Lagoon.

• Sebastian Inlet Park9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (entrance fees apply)

• Wabasso Beach Park1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso

• Ambersands beach park12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach (free parking)

• South Beach Park1700 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach (free parking)

• Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach

• Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach

• Fort Pierce Inlet905 Shorewinds Drive

• Blind Creek Beach North and South, South Ocean Drive or SR A1A on Hutchinson Island in Fort Pierce

• Blue Heron Beach2101 Blue Heron Boulevard, Fort Pierce

• Frederick Douglass Memorial Park3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce

• Dollman Park on the beach9200 South Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

• Herman’s Bay Beach7880 South Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

• John Brooks Park on the beach3300 S Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce

• Middle Cove beach4600 South Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce

• Normandy beach in Jensen Beach

• Pepper Park on the beach3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce,

• Walton Rocks Beachwith a dog park, 6700 South Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

• Waveland Beach10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

• Refuge house and beach301 SE MacArthur Blvd., Stuart

• National highway A1A causeway in Stuart

Rocket launch photos from Vero Beach, Florida

Rocket launch photo from Stuart, Florida

Rocket launch photos from Jensen Beach, Florida

(This story has been updated to add new information.)

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This article originally appeared in Treasure Coast Newspapers: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: Where to watch from Indian River County