It’s the first week of 2025, and SpaceX has been very busy. The space agency, which closed the year with a New Year’s Eve rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast, has a potential back-to-back schedule of launches this weekend.
Federal Aviation Administration warnings show two possible SpaceX launches in the coming days: both Starlink missions — and parts of the Treasure Coast may get a nice view of them.
SpaceX is potentially targeting Sunday, Jan. 5, and Monday, Jan. 6, to launch a batch of Starlink internet satellites from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Florida. Depending on cloud cover, weather and visibility, people in the Sebastian and 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 it feels like there have been so many rocket launches in Florida, it’s because there has been. The Sunshine State 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. In 2024, there were 93 orbital rocket launches from neighboring Space Coast.
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 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.
When is the next rocket launch in Florida? Sunday, January 5: SpaceX Starlink 6-71
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Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch another payload of Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory indicates.
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Launch window: 12:10 p.m. to 4:41 p.m. EDT Sunday, Jan. 5
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Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station
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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.
When is the SpaceX launch in Florida? Monday, January 6: SpaceX Starlink 12-11
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Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch another payload of Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning shows
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Launch window: 11:19 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. EDT Monday, Jan. 6
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Location: NASA’s Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A
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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
Adam Neal, executive editor at TCPalm, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, snapped a photo of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch. On April 30, 2023, Neal tweeted: “Check out SpaceX Falcon Heavy launch from southern Vero Beach. Beautiful.”
Adam Neal, executive editor at TCPalm, a USA TODAY Network newspaper, snapped a photo of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch from southern Vero Beach on May 17, 2024. Depending on weather and cloud cover, a rocket that launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, could be seen on parts of the Treasure Coast.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rose into the night sky for an on-time liftoff of 8:32 p.m. from Cape Canaveral Launch Complex 40 on May 17, 2024. The rocket launch is seen from the Vero Beach High School commencement ceremony. Onboard is the next batch of Starlink satellites, Starlink 6-59.
Rocket launch photo from Stuart, Florida
Rocket launch photos from Jensen Beach, Florida
Chris Spain photographed the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launch Feb. 2, 2019, from Jensen Beach.
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This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: SpaceX: When is liftoff from Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center?