SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: What time is liftoff, what to know about Falcon 9
A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is on the horizon — and when this 'so Florida' thing occurs, it's very Instagram-worthy.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will potentially carry Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit on Wednesday, May 28, according to the Space Coast Office of Tourism.
Though rockets here blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, people beyond the Space Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon.
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida's Space Coast could be visible from Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to 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.
Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot)
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: SpaceX will launch a payload of Starlink satellites on a Falcon 9 rocket into low-Earth orbit, according to the Space Coast Office of Tourism.
Launch window: 9:30 a.m. ET Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Launch location: TBA
Trajectory: Southeast
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.
In Volusia County, immediately north of Brevard County — home to Kennedy Space Center and 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 is along the beach. Look due south. Recommended spots:
• South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore)
• Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach is 3.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and one mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to Canaveral National Seashore Park.
• Apollo Beach at Canaveral National Seashore (south of New Smyrna Beach). Canaveral National Seashore runs along Florida's East Coast in Volusia County and Brevard County. To access Apollo Beach, take Interstate 95 to exit 249, then travel east until it turns into State Road A1A. Follow SR A1A south to the park entrance.
• Oak Hill riverfront is the southernmost city in South Volusia County.
• Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill
• Goodrich's Seafood and Oyster House back deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill
• Seminole Rest national historic site, 211 River Road, Oak Hill
• Riverbreeze Park, 250 H.H. Burch Road, Oak Hill
• Mary Dewees Park, 178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill
• Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill
• Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill
• A.C. Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill
• Bird Observation Pier on River Road across from A.C. Delbert Municipal Pier (see above)
• Rose Bay in Port Orange, Florida
• beaches along New Smyrna Beach, Florida
• New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach lifeguard station
• Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, Florida
• Ormond-by-the-Sea in Ormond Beach, Florida
• George R. Kennedy Memorial Park in Edgewater, Florida
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: What time is Cape Canaveral liftoff?
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