A 2024 Update I suppose

2024 is already off to a roaring start here at the Cape, having seen Vulcan debut earlier this week, the Axiom mission within the week, the upcoming flight of the Intuitive Machines CLPS lander, the return of Cygnus CRS missions, and more!

A great deal of those flights will be SpaceX RTLS missions, where the rocket lands back at the Cape as well, rather than downrange on a droneship, promising a great view no matter where you choose to watch from!

This year also saw us formally lay the site’s founder, WaywardPlane, to rest, and promises to be another year entirely comprised of job hunting on my end, as neither this site nor my photography pay the bills, but rather than dwell on that, let’s jump right in with Axiom-3!

Axiom-3

Axiom-3 will be Axiom Space’s third privately-operated flight of astronauts to the International Space Station, aboard Falcon 9 and Dragon. As if flying astronauts weren’t enough of a draw to visit, minor optimisations to Falcon 9’s performance have since allowed for Crew Dragon missions like this to perform RTLS landings, returning the booster to the Cape, rather than landing it downrange on a droneship! It’s currently scheduled for 5:11 PM on January 17th.

Paid Options

• The Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Complex will be hosting viewing for this launch, with main center viewing included with admission, and a $70 addon to watch from the Saturn V Center, about four miles from the launchpad. Your view of the landing zones from here is partway obscured by the VAB, and your view from the main center obstructed by the treeline for liftoff and landing, but for a viewing site with more amenities than most (dining, restrooms, air conditioned spaces, live commentary and up-to-date information), that’s an understandable tradeoff, especially if you were already planning to make a stop at the Visitors Center on your trip.
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• Star*Fleet Tours is arranging a viewing charter to watch the launches and landings from the ocean, aboard as many boats as interest allows them to fill! For RTLS missions like this, they offer perhaps the best view you’ll get of landing, and a unique perspective on launch itself! Reach out to them on twitter, facebook, their website, or by phone (listed on their website) if this interests you!
  UPDATE: You can now purchase tickets directly through their website.
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• Jetty Park ($15/car) and Playalinda Beach ($25/car) should both be open, as this is within their winter hours. Jetty Park will have the best view of landing, and Playalinda the best view of launch itself. If planning to view from either of these parks, you have to purchase your admission to Jetty Park online ahead of time, and Playalinda no longer takes cash (card only).

Free Options

Axiom-3 being a daytime launch, you’re spoiled for choice here, all the beach accesses in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral should be open, all the parks along US 1 from Cocoa to Titusville as well, and no doubt plenty of waterfront restaurants if you’re interested in dinner and a show! (Though whether that counts as “free viewing” is… debatable)

A note, though. There have been some places around Port Canaveral marked as “Rocket Launch Viewing” in the past, especially along the road to the CCSFS south gate and the Sands museum. Those are not accessible anymore, at the tail end of last year Space Launch Delta 45 announced the closure of the south gate viewing area, due to safety concerns for pedestrians crossing the busy road. For years, LaunchRats omitted this viewing area from our recommendations due to those hazards (and its limited capacity), especially after the chaos of the original Falcon Heavy demo, so this doesn’t come as much of a surprise, but now that it’s officially off-limits, even more than it was already, it’s worth mentioning.

As far as general viewing from public places goes, if you want the best view of the launch, watch from along the river on US1. The further north towards Titusville you get, the closer you are, but it’s not going to have that big of an impact. As long as you’re on the waterfront, you’ll see at least a little bit of the launchpad poking up on the horizon. If you want the best view of the landing, Port Canaveral, Cape Canaveral, and Cocoa Beach will have you sorted. There’s plenty of public beach accesses once you get south of Central Ave in Cape Canaveral, running as far south as you’re willing to go, plus beachfront parks like Cherie Down, Shepard, and Lori Wilson. Again, the further north you’re willing to go, the closer you’ll be, but there is a point where you’re close enough to have a good time, and being here at all is well past it.

Other SpaceX RTLS Missions

CRS NG-20, Intuitive Machines’ IM-1, and Crew-8 all appear to be daytime RTLS missions, so a majority of the above information should still apply for the free viewing areas, and for Jetty Park/Playalinda Beach. When we get closer to each launch, be sure to check the Kennedy Space Center’s website and twitter, and Star*Fleet’s twitter to see if they’re offering paid viewing excursions for these as well, that’s the only specific information that should change from the above. I’ll do my best to update the space below with anything that shows up regarding either.

NASA’s PACE mission appears to be the only upcoming RTLS without a potential launch time listed, and if it turns out to be outside of daylight hours, I’ll add to the post as well with what’s best for viewing it.

Other SpaceX Launches

Aside from Vulcan this past Monday, there’s not much else flying from the Cape that isn’t SpaceX until something like March. And even then, it’s mostly Starlinks, a solid 90% of which will probably fly at night, as seems to always be the case. I’m surprised the starlink this past Sunday went before sunset, but they were trying to beat the bad weather and clear the range before Vulcan took it over, I imagine.

For a night starlink, any of the public parks along US1 in Titusville should be decent, providing they’re open. Consult the Brevard County Parks Directory to be certain that a given park will remain open for launches, though typically Space View, Rotary Riverfront, Kirk Point, Kennedy Point, and Manzo generally will. Space View is of course, the most popular of these locations, being right in downtown Titusville a short walk from our small downtown.

Closing Matters

It’s been just over six years since LaunchRats was inaugurated (January 9th, 2018), and now nearly three since its founder passed. It’s harrowing to think that I’ve been its custodian for almost as long as I haven’t been. I feel like I’m an awful parent, aha, but I do what I can to keep things ticking here, pay the hosting, write updated viewing guides, answer emails. I have plans, but they keep getting pushed down the road due to my financial situation. One of you reached out to a developer to try and put me in touch last time i gave mention to this, but I’ve already got someone on retainer, a longtime friend of mine through the same community I met Wayward, I’m just waiting ’til I can actually, y’know, pay them for the work.

Seeing as this website is aimed at tourists visiting the space coast, rather than those living on it who already know all the tips and tricks, plus all the secret locals-only spots we don’t talk about here, I dont imagine this’ll go anywhere. But if you do happen to know of job openings in the area (in Titusville specifically, I can’t drive and am dependent on cycling/our very limited public transit), there’s only so many times I can comb through Indeed and go into every place with a hiring sign out front on my bike ride before I’ve exhausted all my options.

If you want to help me keep this going otherwise, help keep the lights on and the cat fed (and the writer fed), there’s my personal Patreon, there’s purchasing photos from my gallery site (at least until May, when I have to reup that subscription and don’t have the money to keep with the ecommerce plan), and there are the other forms of direct support listed elsewhere on the site.

Safe travels and happy launching,
Lupi
launchrats.com

This is just a quick update given there’s gonna be two big ticket launches in short order, now that the Visitors’ Center has posted tickets for sale for the first one.

USSF-52

as of writing, the Falcon Heavy carrying the X-37 spaceplane on its 7th flight is set to fly on Sunday, December 10th, at an unknown time. UPDATE 7/Dec – Currently scheduled for 8:14 PM on Sunday, with a 10 minute launch window. UPDATE 12/Dec – Pushed to the 13th at 8:13 PM after an aborted attempt on the 11th, with a low probability of good weather for that date. UPDATE 27/Dec — 8:07 PM on the 28th.

KSC Viewing

KSC is now offering paid viewing at the Saturn V center for the USSF-52 Falcon Heavy launch. If you’re interested, their page on it is available here. It’s $70 in addition to admission rather than a full “Feel the Heat” package, which is a nice break from how things have been since the very first Falcon Heavy.

This $70 addon to view from the Saturn V Center/Banana River stands is the only on-premises viewing option being offered by the Visitors Complex, and it’s among the best spots to watch the launch itself. for the landings, you lose the boosters at the last second behind the VAB, but that’s whatever you make of it.

UPDATE 12/Dec – The Visitors’ Complex has elected not to offer viewing for subsequent attempts, it would appear. This is itself surprising, what with it being a Falcon Heavy, but perhaps it conflicts with Holidays in Space or other events they have going on. 27/Dec – Paid viewing from the visitors center is now back on the table.

Other Paid Options

• Jetty Park ($15/Car) may or may not be open, but as a campground there is always the option of camping there for the launch if you so choose, and it falls outside their public access hours. it’s among the best viewing sites for the booster landings, though launch itself is obstructed by the port and the berm across the channel.
• Playalinda Beach ($20/Car) is only open 6am to 6pm, and has the single best view of launch you can get. it’s subject to potential closures by the range, though, and given a launch time of 8pm, will not remain open.
• Star*Fleet Tours has begun soliciting interest and reservations for a launch viewing cruise to see both launch and landing from the ocean. I did this for a previous Falcon Heavy and I can attest to what a good time it is. UPDATE 12/Dec – after rough seas washed out a cruise for the first attempt and the boat they chartered developed engine trouble, charters for future attempts are uncertain. 27/Dec – They have filled one boat already for the 28th, and are working on securing a second. Message them if you’re interested in being on said second boat.

Free Options

for the best all-around view, any public park along US 1 between Cocoa and Titusville will treat you well, though the sweet spot is definitely further north towards Titusville. Most of these parks are open dawn to dusk, but will provisionally remain open overnight for night launches. See the Brevard County Parks and Recreation website to determine if a given park does so. (going to an individual park page and viewing the North Brevard list is a good way to narrow it down.) Space View in downtown Titusville is among the most popular but by no means the only park you can choose from.

if you want a better view of the landings and don’t mind missing the initial few moments of liftoff, pick any public beach access in Cocoa Beach or the City of Cape Canaveral, though these are only open dawn to dusk.

Vulcan Flight 1 (Peregrine Lunar Lander)

This one’s a toughie. it’s currently scheduled for something like 1am on Christmas Eve, so in addition to the traditional trials of night launch viewing, we may have holiday closures to contend with. 27/Dec – It’s been pushed to january 8th at 2:14 AM after delays with the wet dress rehearsal.

paid options

• it’s unknown as of yet whether KSC will offer a viewing package for this, given it’s well outside of operating hours. I’d expect a Feel the Heat style package if they do, as their only offered option, given it’s a NASA mission AND the Vulcan’s debut.
• Playalinda will be closed because it’s late in the night. it is otherwise the dream view for a launch from 41.
• Jetty Park may offer itself up for viewing, but as of writing we have yet to see.
• Star*Fleet hasn’t announced any plans at this time, though more on that later.

Free Options

as before, any public waterfront park in or near Titusville that the Brevard County Parks department says will remain open for night launches is a reasonable bet, though the holiday may throw a wrench in that.

Starlinks/Etc

if they’re during KSC operating hours and you’re already planning to attend, the Saturn V center is nice, but that’s unlikely. At this point, starlink missions run near exclusively at night. for these, the same “along the river in Titusville” options are your best bet.

there is one commercial falcon 9 launch on the docket, Ovzon-3, and it’s even another booster landing! for the time being this mission is scheduled for ~4pm on December 14th january 3rd. Jetty Park would be ideal for this if you want to see this landing, otherwise the same advice from USSF-52 applies. Cape Canaveral beaches for landing, Titusville waterfront for an all around view.

In Memoriam

many of you probably know that the site’s founder, WaywardPlane, passed away two years ago, and this place is one of many things I’ve inherited from them. For these past two years, a USPS cardboard box with a bright orange label has sat on a shelf on the living room, waiting for its time to come.

Wayward’s ashes are to be scattered at sea just off the coast of LC-41, with the Vulcan rocket standing on it ahead of launch. Frankly, I don’t have the money to do this, I’m hoping to split the cost with some photographer friends who’d be chartering Star*Fleet for a prelaunch photo cruise, and would otherwise want to attend such a service. I’ll make it work regardless, I just wanted to make any regular readers aware of this plan.

safe travels and happy launching, <br> Lupi.

(UPDATED 7/SEPT FOR SILENTBARKER VIEWING INFO)
(UPDATED 30/SEPT FOR PSYCHE, KUIPER)
(UPDATED 11/OCT FOR PSYCHE DELAY 2)

With Elon Musk gradually making Twitter more inconvenient, and the preposterous spread of alternatives that’ve sprung up to try and eat its lunch, I’ve been reminded that Actual, Proper, Focused Websites are more important than ever, and I’ve got one here that I keep putting by the wayside when I really shouldn’t.

With that said, until I can get my feet under me, I’m at a disadvantage in doing so, but I’m still hoping to do my best to continue at least with updates around significant missions. I’ll go into future plans downstream, but for now let’s do a quick recap of what’s to come in spaceflight:

Upcoming Launches/Where+How to Watch Them

We’re poised to have several big-ticket launches lift off this fall, with crewed NASA missions like Crew-7, the long-awaited Psyche mission on NASA’s first Falcon Heavy, the ever-delayed demo flight of Vulcan, and a few unique treats like the DoD’s SILENTBARKER mission on Atlas V and potentially the first launch of Amazon’s Project Kuiper.

Psyche

The launch window for Psyche runs from October 5th to October 25th, and the launch is currently scheduled for Friday October 13th, with a window opening at 10:19 AM meaning if it doesn’t launch within that timeframe, it’ll be stuck on Earth until the next launch window opens. It can’t slip later than the 25th. As a Falcon Heavy mission, it will feature TWO booster landings, a double-RTLS. If seeing the launch itself up close is more important to you, pick somewhere closer to Titusville. If you’d prefer a close view of the booster landings, you’ll want to be closer to Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach, but barring that general advice, here’s a runthrough of your options.

Paid Viewing

The KSC Visitors’ Complex is offering add-on viewing packages ($70/person, in addition to daily admission (possibly sold out, unclear) from the Banana River viewing site at the Saturn V center, and if seeing a launch is your bucket-list item, at any cost, being ~4 miles away from the pad may well be worth it to you. From here, the booster landing site is beside/behind the NASA VAB, depending on where you sit, for reference.

Viewing from the main center, with commentary and some jumbotrons scattered through the park, is included with admission. You won’t have a clear view of the launchpads or the landing pads, but that may be a tradeoff you’re willing to make.

Star*Fleet tours have been forced to cancel their launch viewing cruise due to the 1-day slip to Friday, as the boat they were going to charter had other obligations that day.

Jetty Park in Port Canaveral ($15/Car) will no doubt be open as normal, though you have to purchase your parking pass online in advance, and getting into the park itself is first-come first-serve, with no guaranteed reentry. If you’re in a camper, you could book a campsite the night before, as well. The Cocoa Beach Pier may be offering paid viewing and if so, that’s definitely an option as well.

Playalinda Beach ($20/Car) should be open given how late in the morning Psyche will be flying, but there’s every chance SpaceX and/or NASA will order it closed, so don’t count on it, check their website. Like I just did, and was reminded that there is a very strong chance the park won’t be open at all. If the federal government shuts down, the Canaveral National Seashore (and Playalinda Beach within it) will be be closed, as they are a national park funded (or not funded, in the case of a shutdown) by the federal government. One can only hope they resolve this in time, I was kinda hoping to catch the Kuiper from there, ugh.

Free Viewing

If you’d prefer to be closer to the landing, you’ll want to be around Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach. The parks in Port Canaveral (Freddie Patrick and Rodney S Ketcham) are nice, and come with facilities like restrooms. The same goes for beachfront viewing from Alan Shepard Park and Lori Wilson Park in Cocoa Beach. Parks aside, all public beach accesses are generally open dawn-to-dusk, which works out just fine, but those have extremely limited parking and no amenities.

If being close to the landing isn’t a big deal for you, you will be treated just fine by any public park in the Titusville area. Honestly, just pick whichever one has free parking, they all have almost the same view.

All of these are roughly equivalent in distance, though you’ll be closest to the pads from the Downtown area, near to the Max Brewer Bridge. The bridge itself is a nice view, if you can find nearby parking (say, at Sand Point) and don’t mind the walk up to its highest points, though space is limited up top.

Kuiper and Vulcan Demo-1

Both of these will be flying from ULA’s Launch Complex 41, with the first launch of Amazon’s Kuiper scheduled for 2:00 PM on Friday, October 6th, and the demo of the Vulcan rocket w/the Peregrine lunar lander tentatively later in the month, possibly November.

Kuiper will take place in daylight hours, which means Playalinda Beach ($20/car) will be open IF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT DOES NOT SHUT DOWN. It’s among the best spots to catch a launch from LC-41, if it falls between dawn and dusk (6am-8pm during summer hours, 6am-6pm in the winter), and at 20 dollars per car, it’s generally the most affordable paid option.

With the Kuiper launch taking place in the middle of the day, KSC is not offering any premium viewing packages, not even the Gantry mentioned below. That doesn’t mean you aren’t getting close, though, it just means you don’t have to pay an upcharge to watch from the Apollo/Saturn V Center/Banana Creek viewing area. That’s included with admission, so if you were already planning a visit to the Visitors Complex, it may be a solid option.

The holy grail for an LC-41 launch is when the Kennedy Space Center offers viewing from the LC-39 Gantry, at just over two miles away, though that is extremely limited and subject to cancellations based on weather. If the wind blows in just the wrong way, it falls within the hazard area for the pad. Keep an eye on their website and their twitter for updates, and also consider signing up for their email list.

Barring that, anywhere along the river in Titusville will treat you right, with a view across the Intracoastal Waterway right to the pad. There’s a small region north of Titus Landing where the VAB blocks your view of LC-41, but there’s no public viewing in that area anyhow.

Other, Assorted Launches

if it’s not on this list, it’s probably a Starlink or other commercial payload that SpaceX will launch from Launch Complex 40 at varying hours of the day, generally featuring droneship landings instead of RTLS. If you’re going to the KSC Visitors Center anyway during your trip, and they’re offering Banana River viewing with admission/in addition to admission, it’s generally worth it since you’re already there.

Otherwise, the view from Playalinda is not nearly as good for LC-40 as it is for LC-39A and LC-41 (it’s almost hidden behind 39A). The free options, the assorted public parks in Titusville, will have clear views across the water, and are generally open day or night for launches. Getting by the river will get you close enough to have a good time.

Past Launches

in all honesty i’ve just kinda mangled this article by reusing a whole lot of sections, these are just here for completion’s sake

Crew-7

As of initial writing, SpaceX Crew-7 is presently scheduled for August 25th, at 3:49 AM, and it’ll be NASA’s first crewed mission with an RTLS of the Falcon 9 first stage! That’s going to make this and future astronaut launches more interesting, for sure.

NROL-107/SILENTBARKER

After being delayed by Hurricane Idalia, SILENTBARKER (NROL-107) is planned to lift off on Saturday, September 9th, with a window opening at 8:51 AM.

UPDATE 7/SEPT: I’m not sure if I missed the email from Delaware North, or if the Atlas being rolled back due to Hurricane Idalia just kinda threw a wrench in things, but KSC has made viewing available for NROL-107/SILENTBARKER. Better yet, they’re offering the Gantry. The park will open early to accomodate this, with boarding for Gantry-bound buses set for 7:15 AM, and the main visitors center opening to general admission at the same time. If you’re in town already, and planned on visiting KSC anyway, this $50 addon is the best viewing for an Atlas launch, bar none.

Site and Personal Updates

Last time I posted a site update, I had just been hit by a car, and was stuck recovering from a broken clavicle. The fundraiser went well over my initial target, and I even got a big tax return from only working 3 months last year before the gas station fired me while I was at my mom’s funeral, a whole $500 of paycheck deductions returned to me plus an additional tax credit.

The good news? My arm has healed, and my shoulder is only occasionally a little achy. I’m not stuck in the house, unable to run errands without a profound effort and pulling a wagon behind me to walk a mile to the store. I can bike around, I can go out and do launch photography/outreach, and so on.

But after six months, that money has dried up; Not only were the bills higher than I had estimated (thanks, insurance, for literally nothing), but I was in billing hell for so long with the billing company for Brevard County Fire and Rescue that I bled out what little surplus money I had. Doesn’t help that I’m still unemployed, and it seems like more and more places are just outright closing down in the area, makin’ options even fewer.

As I’d alluded to in the Crew-6/Spring Update post, I’d been hoping to use anything leftover from the medical fundraising on improving this site, and dissecting Wayward’s tangle of home-rolled themes and confusing organization to make it a better experience overall, both for me writing articles and readers finding them. To get it modernized, cleaned up, and laid out better, and get into a position where I could reach out to potential advertisers, local restaurants/attractions/etc, stuff that’d complement your trip to view a launch.

But we’re in a bit of a tough spot, right now. I’d like to make money from the site through advertising (it’d be nice to have a bit of help paying my bills while the job hunt’s going nowhere), but I can’t do so unless the site gets renovated. And I can’t do that without having money to h​i​r​e a d​e​v​e​l​o​p​e​r. I have the individual developer picked out already, who already has a great portfolio working on sites for niche tourist interests. He ran a fan-focused site for a major theme park for decades, up until recently. I have everything lined up that I’d need to do the remodel, except the money to pay the people.

So, as these quarterly posts so often do, this one will end with a call to action/call for assistance. If you like what LaunchRats is able to do already, and want to help me not only continue to do what we’re doing, but do a better job, please consider financially supporting us in one of several ways:

• – Subscribe to my personal Patreon
• – Purchase a rocket launch photo print from my online shop
• – Send a direct donation via Paypal
• – Once I receive an updated estimate from the guy, I’ll create a fundraiser. I might sticky that to the page when I do.

Safe travels and happy launches as always,
Lupi

I always intend to make guideposts more frequently, but outside of posts for specific, notable launches, it seems to be quarterly at best. 2022 was quite the whirlwind year, with Artemis I taking the stage on Pad 39B several times throughout the year for fit checks, wet dress, and launch attempts aplenty before its final, glorious, night-into-day launch.

There were of course, other notable missions, like Astra’s ill-fated pair of launches from Cape Canaveral, the return of Falcon Heavy with USSF-67, the long-awaited second test flight of Boeing’s Starliner crew vehicle, and a geopolitical upheaval that stands to give us more launches this year than even last year’s record-setting count of 57.

We’ll be averaging one launch a week from here on out if those numbers hold up, and that means at least one chance per week for folks to travel here to the Space Coast and see one for themselves! That’s not even considering the debut launch of Vulcan, the potential first flight of Dreamchaser, the long-awaited Psyche mission, and several more Falcon Heavies, all of which will no doubt draw folks to the river’s edge like nothing else!

Crew-6

I’ve been getting emails since the beginning of January asking about the Crew-6 flight, given how late in the night it’s slated to depart. In the past week, it has been delayed from its original launch date to February 27th at 1:45 AM local time. Night launches can be a bit obnoxious to watch, but they provide some unparalleled views of their own.

• Being a crewed launch, the KSC Visitors Complex will be offering paid viewing via their Feel The Heat package ($250/person), and as of this writing (Feb 23rd) those are still available. Feel The Heat is a great option if you’re up for it, it includes a 2-day ticket to the visitors center, a meal and souvenir, and you get to watch the launch from pretty much the closest place anyone in the public is allowed to be, at ~3 miles away from LC-39a.
• Barring that, the multiple public parks along US1 and the river in Brevard County are always kept open overnight for launch nights, and they continue to be a free and reliable place to enjoy a launch from. They’re further out, sure, but you’re still more than close enough for the sights and sound, as long as weather allows. Whether you choose to watch downtown from Space View, or point south like Manzo, Rotary Riverfront, or Kennedy Point, you’ll have a good time.

Wherever you’re watching from, it wouldn’t hurt to bring some water, maybe a folding chair, and some bug spray. If you’re watching from the mainland parks, pack some snacks. Most places in Titusville close around 9pm, so if you want a bite to eat that’s nicer than what you’d get from one of our few 24-hour convenience stores, you might wanna bring it with you. And if you choose to watch from Space View or other points downtown, when public parking fills up, the local food pantry generally offers paid parking from the Wells Fargo next door.

Arrive early (2-3 hours is usually plenty), get cozy, and generally enjoy the night!

Site Updates

Ever since I inherited it after Wayward’s passing, the goal has been to clean it up, make it a more useful guide, and get it to a position where I can approach local businesses and negotiate with them about placing ads on the site. Places I already know, and would recommend to folk anyhow. Restaurants in Port Canaveral, certain museums here on the mainland, etc. The goal would be to run some banner/sidebar ads, not necessarily sponsored content.

• A major part of that goal is redoing the map. Right now, as it’s implemented on google maps, we’re dependent on Google. And we’re dependent on a map built on a dead person’s google account, at that. I’ve had some help developing a new beta map using html, css, and some assets Wayward left behind, but it needs a bit of polishing, and I’d like to adjust it to use something like an xml file to put locations in, instead of having them hardcoded in the html.
• Additionally, like. I don’t mean to speak ill of those in the great beyond, but this website is organized like Wayward’s brain was, and jury-rigged to look like it was made in 2003. But with none of the parts that made a 2003 website good. It’s hard to navigate, there’s information here but it’s all in a tangle of tags with no easy navigation. I tried to turn on the navigation bar but whatever Wayward did to the wordpress theme makes it completely fail to work. I’d love to start writing content for the site, in fact I’ve had a bunch of photos of the parks from 528 north saved for just a purpose. But I don’t want to pour effort into that when anything I do is going to be buried in this layout.

In other news, I’ve largely spooled down Twitter because I didn’t realize how nice it was not using it until I took a break when A Certain Rich Individual Well Known To The Spaceflight Community decided to buy it because a college student told him “no” once. Without tweetdeck, the site’s reticent to show me message requests as it is. There’ve been times I’ve loaded up the app and it hasn’t even shown them as an option in the messages menu. That being said, I continue to answer inquiries there as I see them (which, even with the option checked to get twitter to send me emails about stuff happening on the launchrats account, isn’t very likely), so I’d just as soon recommend emailing me directly or via the contact form on the site. I get back as quickly as I’m able, hell, I was answering an inquiry while I was in the emergency room last weekend.

Personal Updates

I’ve had a fair bit going on behind the scenes, between the unending, fruitless job hunt, background work on the site here that’s not gone anywhere much (as mentioned above), and, most recently, getting hit by a car.

There’s really nothing to report on the job front. When I went home to be with my dying mother last may/june, the gas station I was working for put me on family medical leave. The day i got back, I was getting groceries because I’d had to throw a lot of shit out. I stop in at the gas station to get a drink, talk to my coworker, and they eavesdropped on the CCTV to hear me saying “I need a bit more time to settle in, and I might look around a bit in the process” to use that as justification for firing me. I can’t say I miss that job, but I do kinda miss having income, and the past nine or ten months without a job have been an intense strain on my finances and on my will to do anything. It’s to the point where I want to throw up every time I look at another online job app.

It sure doesn’t help that I got hit by a car a few weekends ago while I was out riding my bike, breaking my left shoulder and leaving me unable to really leave the house, since my only method of transportation is said bicycle. Unless I walk half an hour each way to the nearest bus stops, I’m stuck at home until April, or whenever the orthopedic surgeon says my clavicle is healed enough to use the bike again.

That’s a large part of why I want to get those site updates moving along, but as someone who is extremely uneducated and unskilled when it comes to computer programming, it is outside my ability to do on my own. I’ve gotten the occasional bit of assistance from friends, but that’s been infrequent at best.

I have a gofundme going to support me while i recover, and especially to cover medical bills and bike repairs, but if I get enough I’m putting it towards wiping out all the credit card debt i’ve accrued paying for groceries over the last two years. I might also put it towards hiring someone who knows How Website so that the work I want on LaunchRats actually gets done For Hire, rather than “when friends have time,” but I’m not sure.

Barring that, support is always welcome via my photo store or via Patreon. Now more than ever, I’d really appreciate it. Tips sent my way during Artemis 1’s first launch attempt allowed me to pay my bills for a month, which was an absolute dream.

Safe travels, and happy launches,
Lupi.

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.

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:

We will not be offering a launch viewing trip to see the #Artemis1 launch on Wednesday morning.

But we will be going out to see the @NASA_SLS rocket on the launch pad for sunset Tuesday, November 15 at 4 pm. If you’re interested in joining us, please DM us.

📷: @erikkuna pic.twitter.com/Yi1OYPu9gh

— Star✦Fleet Tours (@StarFleetTours) November 14, 2022

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

After something like 3 years of absence, the Falcon Heavy rocket is returning to service with the USSF-44 mission for the Space Force. To make matters even better, it’s a double-RTLS! If you’re going to be in the area for the launch, here’s a rundown of the important details, and some advice to help you find the viewing spot of your choice.

Launch Details

The launch of USSF-44 is currently scheduled for November 1st, 2022 with a window spanning roughly 30 minutes, from 9:40 AM to 10:11 AM local Florida time. That means, all going well, it will launch within that span of time. 30 minutes is not long enough for them to reset the countdown if they have a hold, so if you hear a hold called, that means they will not launch. The date and time for a second attempt have not been made public, but expect it to be at least 48 hours later.

RTLS, or Return to Launch Site, is a way SpaceX will recover a booster, or in this case, boosters. After the two outer boosters shut down their engines and separate from the rocket, they will flip around and light their engines to slow themselves down, so they can guide themselves back to landing pads at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, as opposed to the landing barges they tow out to sea to land on for ocean recoveries.

Viewing Options

The Falcon Heavy will be lifting off from Launch Complex 39A on the north side of the Kennedy Space Center, and its boosters will be landing at Landing Zones 1 and 2 towards the south of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. As the launch and landing site are fairly far apart, there is no one killer spot to watch both the launch and the landing, so where you go is entirely dependent on your priorities.

Paid Options

The Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Complex is offering paid viewing in the form of their Feel The Heat package ($250) as well as offering viewing from their main campus included with your paid admission ($75).
– Feel the Heat will net you a view from the Banana River Viewing Stands at the Saturn V Center, 3 miles away from the LC-39A. It is without a doubt the best place from which to view the launch itself. The view of booster landing isn’t as exceptional, from your perspective it will be near to, and possibly behind, the Vehicle Assembly Building. Included in the ticket price are 2 days of admission, a meal, and a handful of souvenirs to commemorate the launch. This package is valid for 2 launch attempts, so if it does not fly on the 1st you will be able to return for a second opportunity. Check-in for this viewing is at 5:30AM, you should nominally be at the visitors complex by then.
– Main Center Viewing is included with park admission for the day. They will have jumbotrons showing the launch, but you don’t have a direct view of launch or landing due to the brush and trees surrounding the visitors complex. You’re still technically closer than all but Feel the Heat, but if not being able to see the rocket on the pad and/or losing it behind the trees on landing are dealbreakers, this may not be for you. There is no scrub policy per se here, if it doesn’t go you have to buy another ticket, you didn’t buy a launch package just park admission.

Jetty Park ($16/car) is among the best places to witness a booster landing, and by far one of the closest at around 6 miles distance from the landing zones. Being so low to the water level, the berm on the other side of the Port Canaveral channel blocks your direct view of the launch pad and landing zones, but the view you get from that south end, watching the rocket go out to sea, then seeing the boosters come back feeling like they’re right overhead, is definitely worth that tradeoff, especially at that price. The gates open at 7am and the park will close when it reaches capacity.

Star*Fleet Tours plans on offering viewing excursions to view the launch and landing from out to sea, and I can’t recommend this enough. This is the unparalleled best view you’ll have of landing, and your position out at sea will also afford you a fair view of launch. $89 will get you aboard a boat, 10 dollars more will upgrade you to the upper deck of the boat (these are 2-story, ~80-foot, ~100-person fishing boats), and seating is limited with only one boat available. Tickets sales are live, and upper deck tickets have already sold out! There may still be room, and they may take walk-ins if you have the money.

Free Options

Second only to Jetty Park for landing are the beach accesses in Cocoa Beach and Cape Canaveral, most of which have free parking save for the ones near the Cocoa Beach Pier. These maintain the same drawbacks at Jetty Park and are slightly further away, but you shouldn’t necessarily discount them. They’re still some of the closest places you can get to landing.

The viewing sites that balance launch and landing the best are the county parks along US1 between the 528 and downtown Titusville, all of which are free and public. These are all a fair distance from both launch and landing, but they all have a clear view across the water. The further north you go, the closer you are to launch. The further south, closer to landing. They are all roughly comparable, all scoring between 10-15 miles away from both launch and landing, and it comes down to preference. They will all treat you well.

If you’re in downtown Titusville, the Max Brewer Bridge is also a fun place to watch a launch, assuming you’re willing and able to walk up the bridge. It does have a fairly moderate slope, especially the eastern side. That side’s a pain to climb even with my mountain bike geared down. It’s also a fairly limited option, unless Brevard County closes the bridge to traffic, which I’m not certain they will. It doesn’t happen often, so don’t count on it and have a backup plan if it’s not available.

As a note, Playalinda Beach will almost certainly be closed, I’ve seen enough reports of people calling and being told such to say that, and they additionally closed the seashore for the static fire test of the rocket.

Furthermore, the “rocket launch viewing” on google maps by the south gate of CCSFS will likely be reserved for off-base personnel, and thus unavailable.

Launch and Landing Summary

Viewing Site	Launch View	Landing View
(KSC) Feel The Heat	Great	Good
(KSC) Main Center	Okay	Okay
Jetty Park	Okay	Great
Star*Fleet Tours	Good	Great
Public Beaches	Okay	Good-Great
US1 County Parks	Good	Good

Best Practices

Arrive at your preferred viewing site at least 2-3 hours early. If you’re planning on Jetty Park, try to arrive before 7:00 because there’s going to be a whole lot of people vying to get in right when the gates open. If you’re planning on KSC, arrive before your Feel the Heat ticket says to, or as early as you’re willing.

Bring sunscreen, bug spray, water, a powerbank, maybe some snacks. The Florida sun doesn’t play nice, even in “winter.”

Wear a mask, social distance, and be considerate of your fellow people to either side. It’s outdoors, you shouldn’t have any trouble giving each other room.

Take care of yourselves, and safe travels,
Lupi

This post is going to serve as addendum to the original post, so make sure you’ve read that.

As I’m writing this, it’s now Wednesday. Artemis I’s first launch attempt on the 29th has come and gone with a handful of teething issues culminating in a scrub being called, and last night NASA announced the date and time for the second attempt: Saturday, September 3rd, with a window spanning from 2:17 PM to 4:17 PM local time.

As NASA spent Monday gathering data on the vehicle, so too did we. Sunday afternoon I went on a bike ride from my home all the way down to where FL-50 meets US1, exploring the extent to which people had already descended upon Titusville for the launch, and documenting it in a twitter thread. In the wake of the scrub, I once again took to twitter to poll our followers on what the experience was like, when their spot filled up, and how bad exit traffic was.

Together, this data started to point out some trends, and confirmed some patterns I’d observed at launches that were far less heavily attended. I’ll get into that here shortly, but first, just a rapid-fire update on some viewing options.

Staying Home is Still a Solid Option

My home internet went out on Friday afternoon and wasn’t restored until Tuesday, but when I got it back I started watching some of the replay coverage from Everyday Astronaut and NASASpaceflight, and they all knocked it out of the park. I’m sure NASA’s in-house coverage was great too, but I haven’t looked at it in any depth.

The livestreams have access to SO MANY camera views, cameras placed all across the pads, looking at the engines, mounted on the lightning towers, there are so many things you can’t see through a pair of binoculars from 10 miles away.

Having seen how well some of the coverage was handled, I’m all the more confident in recommending, especially in the face of this continued pandemic, that you stay in. This of course doesn’t really mean much to folk who are already here in their hotels, their rentals, campers, et cetera, but if you weren’t already here and were thinking of coming down for the second attempt, just know it’s going to be even crazier, and you might just enjoy the home coverage more than the hassle.

Lightning Round of Launch Viewing Updates

The Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Complex has confirmed that any viewing tickets purchased for the attempt on the 29th are still valid for Saturday, as was outlined in their scrub policy at the time of purchase. If you’re planning on going back to KSC, your ticket will still be valid. They have also made additional Main Center Viewing tickets available in a limited capacity.

Star*Fleet Tours has opened up tickets again, which are selling as fast as you might expect. Already they’ve started to fill the second of three potential large boats.

Brevard County’s myriad parks will be available as always. The parks department presently does not plan to leave the parks open overnight on Friday for Saturday’s attempt, as Saturday’s attempt is well into the afternoon.

The Canaveral Port Authority has released their revised plan for Port Canaveral and Jetty Park. Jetty Park will open at 7:00 AM as normal, and close when it reaches capacity. Port Canaveral remains unchanged, there will be no launch parking available, with all parking reserved for cruises, Cove patrons (Star*Fleet tours included), and private events.

Please see our plan for access to the Port during the rescheduled launch of NASA’s Artemis-1 rocket. The launch is currently scheduled for Saturday, September 3rd with a two-hour launch window opening at 2:17 p.m. and lasting through 4:17 p.m. pic.twitter.com/rWzw0jknYx

— Port Canaveral (@PortCanaveral) September 1, 2022

A lot of the same advice applies from the previous article. Playalinda will be closed, as will the Observation Deck downtown atop Beachwave. Port Canaveral will be restricting parking, as will the Titusville Mall, as both are being used as staging grounds to bus VIPs from NASA and contractors onto base.

Lessons Learned

Artemis I was a surprise for me in many ways. I hadn’t been in town for a major launch since moving here, DM-2 was a month before I moved in, and before that I was only a tourist for Falcon Heavy, when Wayward had just started this site. Even knowing roughly how many people were expected to be in town, and having fielded more viewing inquiries in the past month than the rest of 2022, I was far too generous in some of my estimates.

I knew Kirk Point was going to fill up early, I wasn’t expecting “more than 12 hours before launch” early. I wasn’t expecting some of the odd things I saw that evening at all. But they all make some sorta sense, so let’s go through it.

As far as Titusville goes, most of the early arrivals were concentrated around the intersection of FL-50 and US1. This makes a decent bit of sense, 50 is one of the main roads between Orlando and Titusville, Colonial Drive/Cheney Hwy/etc, and it spits you out right at the river. It also crosses I-95, allowing for easy access from the north and south alike. From there, it looks like traffic and camping out was biased northwards, with parks like Kennedy Point just south of 50 taking until after midnight to fill up.

The other hot spot was Space View Park, whose parking was full by 10pm, as was all the street parking near to it on Broad, Orange, Washington, and Hopkins. That makes sense, Space View is fairly well known as a spot to go.

The most substantial observation from Sunday and from Twitter is how quickly things fell off with distance and convenience.
The south end of Rotary Riverfront park with the unobstructed view filled up well within daylight on Sunday, but it took until well into the night for the north end by McDonalds to fill up. A condo tower blocked easy viewing, and folk passed over it or paid 40 dollars to park somewhere closer rather than park for free and walk a few hundred feet south.
Space View and the surrounding street parking were full by 11, but Sand Point and Marina Park were empty until well into the early hours of the morning.
The takeaway here I guess, don’t be afraid to park somewhere slightly worse and walk, the convenient parking fills fast, and in some cases the paid parking filled before the free spots if the free spots meant someone needed to walk.

Another matter of note was the extent to which businesses were offering paid overnight parking. I don’t know if we’ll see that again today, because those businesses will be open for normal hours on those days given it’s an afternoon launch.
However, I also saw a lot of folk who own vacant land along the river or near to parks selling parking, like the riverfront land between 50 and Kirk Point, and the big empty lot running along Broad Street downtown. That’ll probably be out in force again, but only time will tell.

The Calm Before the Storm

Overall, Artemis I, Attempt I, seemed to be more mellow than a lot of local folks (and businesses) were expecting. It had its crazy spots, like where 50 met US1, but asking around on Twitter and at businesses like the Cocoa Beach Pier and some places in Downtown Titusville, everyone said it wasn’t as bad as they thought it’d be.
They attributed that to a couple things: I was 8:30 AM on a Monday morning, and for a lot of the country school was already back in session. That made it less convenient for a lot of people to drop everything and come down.

That won’t be the case this weekend. Not only will Attempt II be on a Saturday afternoon, it’s a Saturday afternoon on Labor Day Weekend. And the final attempt of the launch period will be on Monday, still part of that holiday weekend.
That’s going to enable a great many people to make the trip who wouldn’t otherwise, whether they daytrip down or get a hotel somewhere nearby like Daytona. I think they already had the race last weekend, so that leaves a whole lot of hotel space free up there.
On top of that, Cocoa Beach has a surf competition on labor day weekend every year. I don’t know how many people that brings into town, but between that and late-season beach trips it’ll be crazy.

What Should You Do?

Get here early. Twice as early as you were planning on, if not more. In every email inquiry I’ve answered so far, I’ve said to arrive no later than sunrise. None of the parks will likely be open before sunrise, at least those which can be gated off. If they aren’t gated off, their bathrooms and such certainly won’t be open.

Take heed of the traffic flow I mentioned. Sail right on past 50, don’t be afraid to head north towards Titusville or south towards the 528. There are parks to either side that took well into the night to fill, because most people tried to jam in at 50 and US1.

If you’re able to walk a distance, find a place where you can park and walk. The parking spots taken first were the ones that were most convenient to a viewing spot, and places where you couldn’t see the rocket like Rotary Riverfront North took ages to fill where just a few blocks down people were charging 40 bucks a car.

Expect pandemonium whether it launches or scrubs. Traffic after Monday’s attempt was mild, it won’t be on Saturday. Stay where you are for a while, crank the AC and relax. Don’t try to leave in a hurry, you’ll just frustrate yourself in traffic.

One Final Note

I wanted to extend my thanks to everyone that sent tips, pledged to the Patreon, or bought photos after my request in the first Artemis I article. Y’all made it so I didn’t have to struggle for rent this month, and I even had enough left over to handle a few emergencies, like when I was out on Sunday afternoon for my survey ride and needed something to eat. I would’ve tried to make it home on an empty stomach but I didn’t have to, thanks to y’all.

Thanks for all the support, kind words, and for helping me stick around help you with your launch viewing journeys.

Safe travels,
Lupi.

EDIT HISTORY:
1/sept: conclusion paragraph, notes on it being labor day weekend now.
1/sept (again): general updates on the parks, port canaveral, and star*fleet

I think this is my first actual posting to the site, because the only other thing on here that’s mine, was sent as a Google Doc (to bennu and back, happy 5th anniversary OSIRIS-REx).

I’m trying to pick up all the pieces that Wayward left behind. I’ve been cleaning and rearranging the house, went through and donated a lot of their stuff, and I’ve tried here and there to poke at this site, without knowing much at all about how websites work.

A few weeks ago I updated the sidebar, which I have no clue how I did. But I’m writing this post to say first and foremost that I finally figured out how to update the contact form. Up until this point, all submissions on the Contact Us page were being sent directly to Wayward’s inbox, which meant I had to boot up their old computer to check for them.

I’m happy to report those now point towards the Team email which means they should be accessible to me, and any future folk who join me here. In the meantime, I’m sorry that I missed a handful of inquiries, though it seemed like a lot of the form submissions were just spam.

So, let’s talk Inspiration4.

I won’t mince words, Florida is a COVID cesspit right now, DO NOT TRAVEL HERE FROM OUT OF STATE. No launch is worth it, not even this one. Even if you’re traveling within the state, be careful. I don’t recall how much of a hotspot Brevard County is, but I’m sure it’s no different from the rest of Florida.

This launch has a Netflix deal. It should be no trouble watching it from home, with far better coverage than most launches get these days. It has John Kraus covering it for photography, it has the local space media being all but frozen out of coverage in favor of major media outlet exclusives like said Netflix deal.

For better or worse, you’ll probably have a better time watching from home. They’re saying this has a 24 hour window? The longest window I can remember was the Falcon Heavy Demo Flight in 2018, and that was only from something like 10am to 4pm. It used that entire window, launching at 3:45 PM that day. And let me tell you, it was a great day, but not a great time. By the end of it, my traveling companions were lobsters from not using sunscreen, and I still got burnt even though I was.

Your options are the $250 Feel the Heat package from the Kennedy Space Center, but I don’t know how that works with a 24 hour window, are they gonna keep people there for the whole attempt, or, what?

Given half of the launch window is during the night, Playalinda Beach is already likely to be off the table. But even so, we don’t know whether they’ll open it at all during the day, they have recently been closing it for launches from 39A.

So for the most part, the options are the same as always, in that they’re “pick a park along US1 and see if it’s open/full.”

If you do visit, please wear your mask and be courteous to those around you with social distancing. I don’t imagine we’ll be getting Falcon Heavy crowds, considering the Feel the Heat package doesn’t even appear to be sold out with less than a week to launch.

Take care,
Lupi.