SpaceX late-night rocket launch: When is liftoff, where to see it in Vero Beach, Sebastian

A SpaceX rocket launch is on the horizon — and parts of the Treasure Coast may get a nice view of it.

SpaceX is potentially targeting Monday, Dec. 23, to launch a batch of Starlink internet satellites from Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida. Depending on cloud cover, weather and visibility, people in the Sebastian Inlet or Vero Beach area might 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 of orbital rocket launches in a year, with the bulk of the 2024 missions from SpaceX. In 2023, SpaceX also helped break the record of rocket launches per year — contributing to the 72 launches that were completed near Cape Canaveral. As of Friday, Dec. 20, there have been 90 orbital rocket launches from neighboring Space Coast in 2024.

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.

For questions or comments, 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 Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral near Sebastian, Vero Beach or Stuart, Florida?

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, yes, rocket launches − especially night launches − from neighboring Space Coast could be visible in the Treasure Coast area, particularly from Sebastian Inlet, Vero Beach or other parts of Indian River County. Night launches, in particular, make for a pretty view.

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.

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

Is there a rocket launch from Florida? The next is Monday, Dec. 23: SpaceX Starlink 12-2

• Mission: According to a Federal Aviation Administration advisory, SpaceX will launch the agency’s latest Starlink mission during a 4 1/2-hour window opening in the early hours of Monday. A Falcon 9 rocket could launch the next batch of Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.

• Launch window: 12:35 a.m. (midnight) EDT Monday, Dec. 23

• Location: Launch pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center

• Trajectory: Southeast

• 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 for Sebastian, Vero Beach, Port St. Lucie, and Fort Pierce, Florida. Will weather cancel a rocket launch?

Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Treasure Coast (Indian River County, Martin County and St. Lucie County) 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 a Florida rocket launch in Indian River County: What does Treasure Coast rocket launch view look like?

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.

• Pretty much anywhere in Brevard, you’ll get a view of the rocket launch. That includes south 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

Rocket launch photos from Vero Beach, Florida

Rocket launch photo from Stuart, Florida

Rocket launch photos from Jensen Beach, Florida

(This story was updated to add new information.)

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

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