A rocket launch during rush hour? Around the time hundreds of drivers head home from work or out to dinner, a SpaceX launch window opens.
There’s a rocket launch scheduled for this week in Florida – maybe two – and the Fun Coast should get a great view of the launch, weather permitting. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket may lift off just after 5 p.m. Tuesday, carrying an Astra 1P satellite, and another Falcon 9 rocket will deploy Starlink internet satellites.
Do you see a rocket launch from the Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral near Daytona Beach or New Smyrna Beach?
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, rocket launches from the neighboring Space Coast may be visible in the Volusia County area. Below you will find a calendar of upcoming rocket launches, suggestions on where to watch them, and photos of past rocket launches seen from Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Port Orange in Florida.
If there are any changes to the launch(es), this story will be updated.
Rocket launch calendar for Florida: Is there a launch today? SpaceX, NASA, ULA missions from Cape Canaveral, Kennedy Space Center
Is there a rocket launch in Florida today? Rocket launch calendar for Florida
Here’s what we know about the rocket launch missions listed in FLORIDA TODAY’s rocket launch calendar for the month of June, which is updated regularly. (Check that link often for rocket launch times and dates, as they may be routinely changed for various reasons.)
FLORIDA TODAY, a USA TODAY Network-Florida newspaper, offers interactive launch coverage and livestream at floridatoday.com/space with frequent updates on launches at least 90 minutes in advance, sometimes longer depending on the mission. For questions or comments, email Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or tweet him @rickneale1 on X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter. You can also contact Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or tweet her @brookeofstars on X or Instagram.
Is there a rocket launch from Florida? Tuesday, June 18: SpaceX Astra 1P/SES-24
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Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch the Astra 1P satellite, which will broadcast satellite TV channels in Germany, France and Spain, for Luxembourg-based satellite operator SES.
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Launch: 5:35 PM EDT Tuesday, June 18
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Place: Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
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Live coverage: To watch live coverage of rocket launches, FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team will provide updates at floridatoday.com/space beginning approximately 90 minutes before launch time. 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 next rocket launch in Florida? TBD: SpaceX Starlink 10-2 from Cape Canaveral
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Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will deploy a number of Starlink internet satellites, which are packed into the fairing atop the 230-foot rocket.
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Launch: TBA − SpaceX attempted to launch this mission three times, on June 12, June 13, and June 14, before operations ceased seconds before the scheduled launch.
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Place: Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
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Procedure: Northeast
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Live coverage: To watch live coverage of rocket launches, FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team will provide updates at floridatoday.com/space beginning approximately 90 minutes before launch time. 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 beach webcam for Ormond Beach, Florida
Can’t see the Ormond Beach North webcam? Click on this link
In Volusia County, immediately north of Brevard County – home to the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station – you can get a great view of a SpaceX, NASA or United Launch Alliance rocket launch.
The best views to watch a rocket launch from here are along the beach. Look due south. Readers have also said they saw a rocket launch from New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach. Here are some recommended spots:
• South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore), parking fees may apply. New Smyrna Beach has 17 miles of white sandy beaches. An eclectic and quaint beach town, despite its reputation as the ‘Shark Bite Capital of the World’, New Smyrna Beach has always been a haven for surfers who come for the waves.
Dinner and a launch: Perfect for a SpaceX or NASA rocket launch, the best waterfront restaurants in Volusia County
• Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach, which is located 3.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and a mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to Canaveral National Seashore Park, has restrooms, picnic pavilions, showers and nearly 800 feet of beach pride, according to the Volusia site County. The nearby riverfront park area is located on South Atlantic Avenue with tennis courts, pickle ball courts, basketball and volleyball courts, a playground, fishing pier and restrooms. The river at the park can be a great viewing spot for manatees, dolphins and pelicans.
• Apollo Beach at Canaveral National Seashore (south of New Smyrna Beach). Canaveral National Seashore runs along the east coast of Florida in Volusia County and Brevard County. To reach Apollo Beach, take Interstate 95 to exit 249 and then drive east until it becomes State Road A1A. Follow SR A1A south to the park entrance.
• Oak Hill riverbank is the southernmost city in southern Volusia County.
• Sunrise ParkRiver Road 275, Oak Hill
• Goodrich’s Seafood and Oyster House rear deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill
• Seminole Rest National Historic SiteRiver Road 211, Oak Hill
• Riverbreeze Park250 HH Burch Road, Oak Hill
• Mary Dewees Park, 178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill. Facilities include a rental building, playground, baseball field, basketball courts, tennis courts, outdoor restrooms, pavilions, picnic areas and grills.
• Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill. Facilities include a playground, baseball field, basketball courts, outdoor pavilion and restrooms.
• Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill. This location has approximately 300 feet of beautifully restored shoreline, according to the City of Oak Hill online. Facilities include a pavilion, picnic tables and kayak launch facilities.
• Municipal pier AC Delbert Dewees, 243 River Road, Oak Hill. Facilities include a 500-foot observation pier with two covered decks and seating, according to the city of Oak Hill.
• Birdwatching pier on River Road across from the AC Delbert Municipal Pier (see above). Facilities include a 30-metre observation pier.
Rocket launch photo from Port Orange, Florida
Rocket launch photos from New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Rocket launch photos from Daytona Beach, Florida
Rocket launch photo from Ormond by the Sea, Florida
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her further Tweet or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Rocket launch today? View from Daytona, New Smyrna Beach, Flagler
