can you believe it guys? Christmas! alternatively, a Tintin “what a [year], huh?” “captain, it’s [january]”
This one’s gonna be weird and honestly worse than the first go-around with Artemis I. Major viewing areas are either closed or inaccessible for assorted reasons, and if you’re international (and even if you’re not) you have to contend with the brownshirts in the airports (and roaming the streets) hoping that if they try and deport you, it’s to the same country you started from. For that reason alone I wouldn’t recommend coming as an international spacefliht enjoyer, but I think we’re too late for me to really dissuade anyone.
A lot of the following info is going to be extrapolated from Artemis I data gathering bike rides I did, and a little bit of gossip I’ve heard working at one of the riverfront restaurants in Titusville. It will also largely focus on Titusville, as mmy ability to data gather in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral is limited by buses that only run during daylight, and so were never a factor for launch attempts for Artemis I.
What’s different and worth noting:
- Playalinda was never going to be an option for launch viewing itself, of course, but the fact it’s been roped off for weeks before launch, and closes until launch on Friday, is a very stinky note for anyone who got into town early and wanted to see the rocket on the pad up close.
- you can try Peacock’s Pocket, bbut you’re still miles away from there. Biolab road maybe? a Star*Fleet pre-launch pad tour? That’s really all you have for options to get a picture with the rocket while it’s sat on the pad.
- Some major viewing spots are now unknowns:
- Shiloh’s in Titusville, one of our more famous waterfront restaurants, suddenly closed its doors for good about two weeks ago. The employees got absolutely no notice either, past “sunday’s your last day, goodbye and good luck.”
We don’t know who owns the property now, the signs were off the building within 3 days of their last day of business, and we don’t know what they’ll do to prospective launch tourists. Will they charge for parking, bar the gates, leave them open, or trespass anyone who tries to use the parking lot? - A few parks, like Parrish Park across the Max Brewer bridge are at reduced vehicle capacity for shoreline restoration work.
- The old mall on US1 and Country Club is being torn down, and its massive parking lot is now a construction site, reducing available parking drastically in central Titusville.
- It’s still unlikely that the “observation deck” built atop the new beach store downtown will ever be utilized for a launch view. It doesn’t even have that much of a view due to the condos directly between it and the water, so you have to wonder why they bothered. I’m pretty sure it’s never once been opened.
- Shiloh’s in Titusville, one of our more famous waterfront restaurants, suddenly closed its doors for good about two weeks ago. The employees got absolutely no notice either, past “sunday’s your last day, goodbye and good luck.”
- It’s no doubt all going to be way more expensive this time around:
- Between the Labor Day weekend attempts for Artemis I and the November ones, paid parking in the vacant lots along the waterfront jumped like 20 dollars from 30 dollars to 50, if i remember right. And you know they’re gonna try higher this timme if they can get away with it.
- To KSC’s credit, Feel the Heat packages, while they sold out within minutes, have remained $250 since I first saw them deployed for the first Falcon Heavy flight in 2018. good on them for not going full ripoff with those.
- The first launch period overlaps with super bowl weekend.
- I now work at one of the restaurants that offered paid launch parking for Artemis I and that entire weekend is now a big cloud of dread, “if it slips to sunday we’re in for it.” that’s not as relevvant for your viewing knowledge, but it is for any plans tto dine out while in town.
Location advice
With all the waterfront real estate outside the parks likely to be paid parking, if you want to be on the river without paying out the nose for parking, you have basically two options.
- Get to your chosen spot extremely early,
- For artemis I, there were people staking spots out days before even, especially if they had campers.
- Even with it being 10pm or later, I would get to your spot at like 6pm or earlier.
- Be prepared to walk.
- There will be cheaper and even free parking in places that don’t have a view. For Artemis I, the north lot for Rotary Riverfront Park in Titusville was empty even after sunset, even as the paid parking in the grass between there and FL-50 was filling up at 40 or 50 dollars a car, because from the north half of Rotary Riverfront, you didn’t have a direct view, due to some condos. All the people who paid extra somewhere else could’ve parked free if they were willing to walk a few hundred feet to the south part of the park.
- Some combination thereof also wouldn’t hurt.
I will also note that the further you spread out from FL-50 and downtown titusville itself, the more availability there will be. Everything close to 50 and 406 filled up basically immediately, but even parks in the middle like Manzo filled up way later in the evening for Artemis I. And that’s not even considering parks further south between FL-50 and Cocoa that I didn’t evaluate in full, like Kennedy Point, Tom Statham, and the parks in Port St. John.
Free parking will likely be available as always on public property:
- The Titusville Welcome Center and the public lot behind Julia Court are city owned.
- Limited street parking along downtown Titusville roads like Broad St, Orange St, Indian River Ave, and Palm Ave
- County parks like Space View (which will likely be the first to fill), Sand Point, Marina, Manzo, Kennedy Point, and parks further south like Tom Statham, Nicol, the PSJ Boat Ramp.
- I would also consider parking at some inland parks and walking.
- Sand Point and Marina were both particularly overlooked last time around as options. They’re perfectly fine; the bridge obstructs pad views in some spots but you can also just walk into downtown from either with no hassle.
Many waterfront businesses and some nearby ones will offer paid parking of their own:
- Dogs R Us and El Leoncito, both just across US1 from the water, charged around 30 bucks for Artemis I but gave you a voucher worth some amount of that to use for dining.
- Previously, even some furrther inland places like Barn Light Electric Company on Knox Mcrae offered cheaper parking, if you were willing to walk two blocks to the water at Kirk Point.
- In Port Canaveral, Jetty Park (run by the Canaveral Port Authority, not by Brevard County), will likely be doing something for Artemis II, but I have not yet been able to uncover what their plans are.
- There is little doubt in my mind that anyone who can charge for launch parking, whoever has property available to park cars and can find someone to be a parking attendant, will charge for launch parking.
General viewing advice
Arrive early, pack food and lots of water, bug spray, sunscreen, chairs, etc.
Tailgate it, you’ll be there a while if you get there early, and you’ll be there a while after no matter whether it scrubs or goes.
Traffic’s gonna be a nightmare, patience is your best friend.