We received an inquiry at LaunchRats that said:
I will be in Hilton Head, South Carolina Aug 6th… will I be able to see the Parker Solar Probe launch… even a little? If not, how far down the coast would I have to go to be able to see it?
And we have an answer!
Glad you asked! I’m a South Carolina native myself, Greenville born and raised, and I often vacation in Charleston and Hilton Head. If you mean to say you’ll be staying on the island itself, you should see something. It’s 4 am, headed east, and you’ll just have to look generally south to see it; a Charleston friend I know said they could see a previous launch from the Isle of Palms. Granted, a lot of this depends on the trajectory it takes, so I can’t be absolutely positive. For some launches, NASA will publish viewing/visibility guides, but I haven’t seen one for Parker Solar Probe yet.
If you’re staying in a resort and they have southeast-facing coast like Palmetto Dunes, you should be fine, depending on their open hours. If not, there’s Coligny Beach Park, though it suffers from the same issue of unknown operating hours.
Of course, driving down is always going to give you the best results, but it’s roughly four hours’ drive to the Space Coast. The exit to HHI is basically the halfway point from where I start in Greenville. Not exactly a slog you’d wanna take just for the launch; maybe look into the price of Kennedy Space Center admission with your dealfinder of choice and make a day trip out of it, as there’s plenty to do at the Space Coast, and you’ll ideally be settled for the day after the launch goes up (or doesn’t) at 4 am. Maybe even bring your beachwear and scope out Cocoa Beach, see if it’s your kind of place for future beach travel. It’s nowhere near as private as Hilton Head, but it’s still fairly sleepy, with great sun and surf.
If you choose to stay put, you may want to have NASA TV open on your phone, and a pair of binoculars. Also, Hilton Head has a nice little museum, buried in the mess of overpasses at the entrance to the island. Maybe check that out after, as it’s got some space hardware in it!
– Lupi
A piece of an Atlas V fairing from the 2010 launch of an X-37B, located in the Hilton Head Museum in South Carolina. Photo courtesy of Lupi.