We’re just over two weeks out from Artemis I, and I finally remembered how to get into the WordPress for the site.
I’ve been responding to the email inquiries, I just couldn’t get in to make the actual post.
So, let’s get down to brass tacks. It’s all but certain that this launch is going to draw attendance on a scale comparable or possibly greater than Falcon Heavy, DM-2, or the last Shuttle. Early projections expect at least 100,000 people to travel here for the launch (space.com).
The KSC Visitors Complex has already sold out of at least one of their viewing packages, if not more.
No doubt hotels are already booked to full and then some, and even assuming they aren’t, that’s not going to last much longer. Hotels, Motels, AirBnBs, the swath of vacation rentals in Cocoa Beach, people negotiating stays with their local friends. So, what’re the ways you can take part, how can you watch the Artemis I launch?
(Prefer Twitter to blog posts? Click here for a twitter thread of this article!)
Option 1: Stay home.
But Lupi, you’re writing a blog to guide tourists in their quest to witness a rocket launch, and this is quite possibly one of the most notable rocket launches of the coming decade and beyond!
Yep. And we’re in year 2 of a pandemic that’s still ongoing, despite everyone’s best attempts to plug fingers in their ears and pretend we beat it. And we’re at the start of a second one, that we’re also pretending won’t be a problem and trying to Blame It On The Gays like it’s the damn Reagan administration.
Editorializing aside, there’s just the plain truth that there’s only so much space here, so many hotels, so many parks, so much length of beach, so many places I could send people, and they’re all going to be full to brimming regardless of what I write here, shoulder to shoulder, cramming in.
Additionally, there’s going to be ample coverage taking place online, and probably also on television. Whether you tune into the likes of NASA’s official webcast, or the wealth of independent enthusiast media like Everyday Astronaut, NASASpaceflight, and so many more, you’re bound to see a whole lot of the launch that we won’t be able to see in the moment, the video feeds and so on.
This may be the first Artemis launch, but with any luck, it won’t be the last. There will be opportunities yet, and maybe we’ll be able to embrace them without the looming threat of two wretched diseases poised to spread through onlooking crowds.
Option 2: You’re Coming Here Anyway
I know I’m not going to change many minds with option 1, but it needed to be said regardless. So what’re your local options? How can you view the launch from here?
To start with, Florida Today has put together this comprehensive guide on where to look for hotels if you haven’t already booked.
The Kennedy Space Center Visitors’ Complex has already sold out of their Feel the Heat viewing packages ($249), and their Feel the Fun viewing packages ($149), but still appears (as of the 12th) to have tickets available for Main Center Viewing ($99).
As of August 17th, the KSC has sold out of all viewing packages.
This isn’t in a specific site like the previous 2 packages, which bring you to the Banana River Viewing Area and the Atlantis North Lawn respectively, but they’ll have several large screens spread throughout the park (Atlantis South Lot, Rocket Garden, and Parking Lot 3). You won’t have a view of the rocket from the ground, but you’ll see it quickly enough once it lights the engines.
These options come with assorted souvenirs, onsite commentary, and amenities like dining and bathrooms available, as well as a ticket to come back to the park within 30 days of the launch and enjoy all it has to offer on a more normal operating day. It also comes with limitations, as outlined in their Launch Scrub Policy
Jetty Park will likely be available, as it’s within their operating hours. The gates generally open at 7am, but Artemis may be an exceptional circumstance.
As of August 18th, the Canaveral Port Authority has outlined its plan for Artemis I in a recent meeting. Jetty Park will open at 5am and close when it reaches capacity.
You will need to purchase a day pass ahead of time($16), which you can do on their website. Additionally, if you’re bringing an RV or not averse to camping, you may be able to book a campsite or cabin for the night prior, if they haven’t been fully booked already(see here for pricing).
Jetty Park at Port Canaveral will open at 5am (until full) on Aug 29th for Artemis-1 launch viewing.
— Gav Cornwell 🚢🚀 (@SpaceOffshore) August 18, 2022
Lockheed Martin will also be hosting a private viewing event, with 3000 guests, at the port on launch day. pic.twitter.com/FPEKuGzN0X
Also of note from that recent meeting, Port Canaveral will not be allowing parking or viewing from the Freddie Patrick Park Boat Ramp, which I wouldn’t recommend in the first place (hence it not being on the map), that parking area will be for boat launching only.
The Observation Deck atop Beachwave Beachwear in downtown Titusville will NOT be available, they were not able to make it work.
Playalinda Beach will NOT be available, the minimum safe distance from the pad is at least 3 miles, and it’s only a mile away. The National Seashore has published their notice of this closure here (Image leads to their webpage):
Brevard County’s myriad parks will be open as always, but all have limited parking, not all offer bathrooms, and space will be limited. These parks are largely all documented on our Viewing Area Map, and have fairly comparable views of the pad, but if you’re seeking a specific recommendation/advice on the view from a particular park, feel free to contact me via email, twitter, whatever. It’s all in the sidebar over there.
NOTE: if trying to stake out sites on other mapping apps, KARS Park is NOT a public park, it’s for the use of badged NASA/USSF/Contractors only, and they will likely turn you away if you try to watch from there.
The city of Titusville has announced that the Max Brewer Bridge will be closed to vehicle traffic for an hour after the launch, and the announcement suggests that they may plan on closing it before and during the launch as well. You may be able to park at one of the nearby parks and use the full deck of the bridge for viewing, not just the guarded sidewalks.
Beach access from Cape Canaveral down through Cocoa Beach and points south is available, though again limited by parking, and lacking a ground view of the rocket. The same warnings about parking apply here, but doubly so because those are private residences.
The Cocoa Beach Pier may offer viewing from the pier itself, as well as paid parking to watch from the beach.
Star*Fleet Tours will be offering both launch cruises($95) and pre-launch photo tours($120). The launch cruises will anchor at the southern extent of the Marine Hazard Area, as close as a boat can get to the rocket. I may even end up offering to volunteer with them again, if they need an extra hand with check-ins or another guide for the boats.
As of August 21st, Star*Fleet has sold out of Launch Day tickets. Some pre-launch pad tours may still have tickets for sale, call them for availability.
What you need to know if you’re traveling here:
Get to your location of choice EARLY. Like, as early as you can manage. 3 hours or more, if you want to be sure. Yeah, that’s going to be like 4, 5am but better to be there and chill in your car for a bit/stake out your spot than miss out on parking/space. KSC will give you instructions on when to arrive with your purchased ticket, but it may be wise to set out early for that as well. Not quite as early, but nonetheless.
Wear a mask, even outdoors, if your viewing area is so packed that you cannot social distance. Be careful about bumping into others, as monkeypox spreads like chickenpox/smallpox/the other poxviruses, through physical contact. You’re likely to find yourself in a crowd wherever you watch from, and that’s just asking for one or both pandemics to tear through it. Be a launch rat, not a plague rat.
Pack water, bug spray, snacks, heck maybe even pack lunch. This launch is taking place in the early morning, and you’ll be camping out for it in the earlier morning. Those bugs will not take mercy on you. Additionally, it may be wise to bring towels, chairs, et cetera. Pack a cooler, you’re going to be in your spot for a while.
Binoculars are fun if you have them. Don’t bother with a camera, especially not on your first launch. Don’t watch your first launch through a lens, enjoy it to the fullest. There’s no shortage of photographers who will sell you brilliant shots after, as keepsakes.
This is going to be LOUD. If you or people you know have auditory issues, it may be prudent to pack earplugs or earmuffs, but you’re going to feel this in your chest, it’s going to shake the air. The Falcon 9 that went off a few days ago rattled my house just a little, this is going to be an order of magnitude louder.
Do not attempt to park on private property, you will be towed (especially true of Titusville Towers). Some businesses will be offering their lots for paid parking, the Wells Fargo by Space View Park does so often for large launches.
Do not expect to get back to your lodging in any sort of timely manner. Honestly, just camp out in your spot for a few hours after, or stay local, get lunch out somewhere. Traffic out is going to be a nightmare. For Falcon Heavy, I watched from Port Canaveral and it took from the 3:45 launch until after sunset for us to get back to our hotel in Cocoa Beach, only something like 5 miles away. Let the crowds thin out, rather than bang your head against the wheel in gridlock for hours. The tweet below shows how traffic will be directed out of the Titusville area after the launch, for planning purposes. The original alert from the City of Titusville is available here, as well.
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Final Notes
Seriously, please don’t come. You’re likely to either get yourself sick, or get someone else sick, because pandemics are insidious things and this is just asking for trouble.
If you’re going to come anyway, please stay safe and be courteous to those around you by masking up and doing the right thing.
The list of viewing sites in this article, and on this website in general, is not fully comprehensive, but contains only vetted areas. If it’s not on this list, I can’t promise it’ll be available for viewing. I put out a call for any riverfront businesses that may be offering viewing from their premises to reach out, and I’d list them here, but none have done so at this point. I will update this article if that changes.
As a personal note, my world has been a living hell for the past while since Wayward passed away. I spent the intervening 8 months trying to land a job, bleeding every last cent I had to spare, and then that job fired me after 3 months, days after I returned from a trip to see my dying mother, that ended up with me having to lay her to rest. They fired me 3 days after her funeral, 2 days after I’d gotten back here. I barely had the chance to make a dent in paying off the debt I was in from that job hunt, and now I’m back at the end of that financial rope.
If you’re willing to support my work here, now would be a wonderful time, or Artemis I may be the end of the line for LaunchRats. To do so, you can purchase my photography, throw a tip in the jar directly, or subscribe to my patreon, whatever you so wish.
Safe Travels (even if I wish you wouldn’t),
Lupi
Edit history:
17/August: Added traffic diagrams courtesy of Tom McCool, and updated KSC viewing package availability
17/August (again): Updated Star*Fleet availability
18/August: Jetty Park update and inclusion of Florida Today’s hotels guide
18/August (again): Updated Star*Fleet availability (again)
19/August: Official statement from the Canaveral National Seashore on Playalinda’s closure
20/August: Linked to twitter version of article, minor rearranging for parity with said thread, added potential of bridge viewing.
21/August: Added full-county traffic flow plan. Sorry it’s a table
21/August (again): Updated Star*Fleet availability (again)
26/August: Observation Deck.