SpaceX rocket launch doubleheader this weekend! Where to watch in Sebastian, Vero Beach

Jennifer Sangalang and Rick Neale, Treasure Coast Newspapers
·4 min read

Day or night, watching a rocket launch on the beach is so Florida. But can someone on the Treasure Coast of Florida see a rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral?

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, yes. We have suggestions on where and how to watch a rocket launch from Indian River County, Martin County or St. Lucie County below if you keep scrolling.

Is there a rocket launch in Florida today? Rocket launch calendar for Florida

Here's what we know about the rocket launch missions, mentioned in FLORIDA TODAY's rocket launch calendar for the month, which is updated frequently. (Check that link often for rocket launch times and dates because they are routinely subject to change for a variety of reasons.)

FLORIDA TODAY, a USA TODAY Network-Florida newspaper, provides interactive launch coverage 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 also can contact Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or tweet her @brookeofstars on X or Instagram.

When is the next rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center, Florida? Saturday, April 27: SpaceX Galileo satellites

Though SpaceX has not publicly announced this mission, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning shows this launch window will open Saturday, April 27, 2024.

  • Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch Galileo satellites for the European Space Agency's global navigation system from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

  • Launch window: 8:29 p.m. to 9:11 p.m. EDT Saturday, April 27, 2024

  • Location: Launch pad 39A

  • Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.

Is there a rocket launch in Cape Canaveral, Florida? Sunday, April 28: SpaceX Starlink

Though SpaceX has not publicly announced this mission, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning shows this launch window will open Sunday, April 28, 2024.

  • Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a batch of Starlink internet satellites from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

  • Launch window: 5:50 p.m. to 10:21 p.m. EDT Sunday, April 28, 2024

  • Location: Launch Complex 40

  • Trajectory: Southeast

  • Local sonic boom: No

  • Booster landing: Drone ship out on the Atlantic Ocean

  • Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.

Where can I watch SpaceX rocket launches online?

If you want to watch live rocket launch coverage, FLORIDA TODAY's Space Team will provide updates at floridatoday.com/space, starting about 90 minutes before launch time. You can download the free app for iPhone or Android or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.

Where can I see a Florida rocket launch in Indian River County, St. Lucie County and Martin County?

The best views to watch a rocket launch from neighboring Brevard County, aka the Space Coast, is here along the beach. Visibility in Indian River County, St. Lucie County and Martin County, part of the Treasure Coast, 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. Look due north. Here are some recommended spots, from closest to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station and Kennedy Space Center to farthest:

• Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you'll get a view of the rocket launch. That includes Melbourne Beach, which borders Indian River County, or from Grant-Valkaria along the Indian River Lagoon.

• Sebastian Inlet Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter)

• Wabasso Beach Park, 1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso

• Ambersands Beach Park, 12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach (free parking)

• South Beach Park, 1700 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach (free parking)

• Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach

• Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach

• Fort Pierce Inlet, 905 Shorewinds Drive

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

• Blue Heron Beach, 2101 Blue Heron Blvd., Fort Pierce

• Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, 3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce

• Dollman Park Beachside, 9200 South Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

• Herman's Bay Beach, 7880 South Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

• John Brooks Park Beachside, 3300 S Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce

• Middle Cove Beach, 4600 South Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce

• Normandy Beach in Jensen Beach

• Pepper Park Beachside, 3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce

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

• Waveland Beach, 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach

• House of Refuge and beach, 301 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart

• State Road A1A causeway in Stuart

Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, click here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Kennedy Space Center launch may be seen from Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach