News & Updates

Artemis I, Take Three

posted on 7th November, 2022 1:23 pm by

With the November 16th attempt finally closing in, it’s time to talk about how to watch it fly, again! If you’ve read the previous two Artemis Articles on this site, a lot will still apply.

Artemis I’s upcoming launch opportunities all take place at night until we get closer to Thanksgiving. It’ll be lifting off from Launch Complex 39B, the northernmost pad at the space center. Night launches are spectacular, and this will hopefully prove no exception. If the night air is calm, it’ll carry that sound crazy far as well.

A cotton candy sunset sky frames the scene, lavender and pink as it reflects in the water. A fair amount of scrub and trees lay at the base of the image, a lone palm climbing the left side of the frame. Clear across the water, and smoothly reflected within, sits the SLS rocket and pad 39b, the marsh waters like frosted glass.
Artemis I sits on the pad during a previous rollout. You can purchase copies of this photo from my website, here.

I’m Going To Say This Every Time

Please consider watching this one from home. The pandemic is still very real, and it pains me to see the world moving on like it’s not. They took away the drive-thru testing site in the hospital parking lot, but people are still getting sick in droves and it seems like we’re collectively ignoring it because it makes some people uncomfortable

If you’re still traveling here for Artemis, please be respectful, wear a mask, and social distance, even outdoors. You’re gonna be shoulder to shoulder with people at some of these viewing spots.

Paid Viewing

The Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Complex is offering viewing packages again. Glancing at their site, Feel The Heat ($250) and Feel The Fun ($150) are both unavailable, as packages purchased for the first two attempts are going to be honored. That leaves Main Center Viewing($100) as your only option for viewing from the main center. It doesn’t have a direct view of the pad, but there will be multiple jumbotrons spread throughout the visitors’ complex, and presumably KSC’s amenities (air conditioned exhibit buildings, dining, nice restrooms) will continue to be offered through the night until launch. (As of Sunday, November 13th, these are still available for purchase!)

Star*Fleet Tours will likely be offering viewing cruises, though they haven’t put that detail on their site yet. Tickets will start at $89 for a spot on the lower deck of a boat, $99 for the upper deck, and being out to sea will give you a spectacular and unique view of the pad.
UPDATE: Star*Fleet will not be offering a launch excursion this time, though they are offering a handful of sunset pad tours:

I have not yet seen details as to whether Jetty Park ($15/car) will be staying open late for the launch. It’s entirely possible, I just haven’t seen it yet.
Jetty Park is closed in the aftermath of Hurricane Nicole, and will not reopen until after the launch.

Playalinda Beach will be closed, both because it’s far too close to 39b, and because it’s well outside the park’s operating hours.

It is probable that we will see people with businesses or other property along the river in Titusville offering paid parking for launch viewing, as we did for the first few attempts. This will probably range from $20-$40 car, based on what we saw in previous attempts.

Free Options

County Parks along US1 in Brevard will be open through the night for launch, as has been the case previously, and can be seen on the webpages for individual parks. All of these have roughly equivalent views, so I’d just go for whichever one has room when you get here. The ones near FL-50 filled up first with all the traffic coming from Orlando via 50 and the 528, the ones further north took longer.

The only park I wouldn’t recommend is Parrish Park, on the far side of the Max Brewer Bridge. You’re technically closer by being on Merritt Island, but they’re likely to close the bridge for an hour after launch, which means you’ll be stuck there twiddling your thumbs and getting stuck at the back end of the mass exodus.

I’m don’t believe public beach accesses in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral observe the same amended rules for launches, so I can’t recommend them as such.

The Max Brewer Bridge has viewing along its protected sidewalks, and it remains possible that Brevard EOC, the City of Titusville, and the FHP will close the bridge to vehicle traffic so the whole deck may be used for launch viewing, as happened with previous attempts.

How To Prepare

Arrive early. Your KSC ticket will tell you when they expect you here, if you purchased viewing tickets with them. Your ticket with Star*Fleet has a rendezvous time. Plan to arrive at least an hour before those times, to accomodate for potential traffic.

If you’re coming for public launch viewing along the river, arrive no less than 3-4 hours before the launch. Leave earlier than that if you can, especially if you have a specific park you’d like to view from.

Bring water, snacks, and bug spray. ESPECIALLY bug spray, you’ll get eaten alive on these muggy florida autumn nights. Camp chairs, a radio, and so would be worth packing as well.

Almost everything in the Titusville area closes early, around 8-9pm. Some places, like the American Space Museum in Downtown Titusville, will be amending their hours to cater to launch tourists, and I’ll try and collect information on which businesses have such plans in place in the coming days. Bring food, or eat before you arrive, just in case.

If you’re aiming for one of the parks in downtown Titusville, consider getting here WAY early to make a day of it, or at least an afternoon! Downtown Titusville is a nice small downtown with a fair few things to do. Plenty of restaurants for a nice dinner, the previously mentioned American Space Museum, the North Brevard History Centre might be open (i’ll have to check). It’s just a nice place to spend some time.

Overall, stay safe and enjoy yourselves, and put the camera or phone down. With a night launch, it’s so hard to get anything (speaking from experience) that you’d be much happier to just stand there and take it all in.

Safe travels,
Lupi