Launch Rats

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.

Update #1: As stated by NASA, the Parker Solar Probe launch is now NET August 6th, slipping two days due to a situation encountered during encapsulation of the probe. A new launch time will be announced shortly, but it will be roughly the same time, somewhere around 4:30 am. Keep an eye on the usual sources for more details and updates. NASA Social attendees, please note that your schedule has been impacted by this change; you should have gotten an email with information about this change already.

Update #2: Our team member John Eric has noticed that Exploration Tower seems to be selling VIP Launch Tickets to view the Parker Solar Probe launch on-site. Tickets are available through their website at explorationtower.com, but as of this moment the tickets still show the launch date as August 4th; it’s advised that you should wait until they’ve updated their information before making your purchase.

Stay tuned for more info and updates!

*** NOTE for those finding their way to this post via Internet search: As of 12 April 2019, there are strong indications that Route 401 may not be open for future launch viewing, on the request of Brevard County officials. Pay close attention to official sources of information for further updates, and plan to use an alternate viewing location for launches after this time. Until/unless the situation changes, the information below should be considered obsolete, and is presented for archival purposes only.

So we have a bunch of late-night/early-morning launches coming up, and people asking me for viewing recommendations… Truth be told, I don’t have much to tell you at this point. Exploration Tower was open for the 5 am CRS-15 launch, somewhat unexpectedly, but I have no idea about future launches. So what is a Launch Rat to do, you might ask?

Well. Lemme tell you about State Route 401.

SR-401 in Port Canaveral is well-known among locals for being one of the best (if not THE best) launch viewing location available. There are two spots on this road that are clear enough to allow good line-of-sight for launches: the western curve, which offers a better perspective on SpaceX landings, and the viewing stands on the eastern end, next to the CCAFS gates (sometimes reserved for VIPs on more notable launches, but generally available). KSCVC premium viewing is the best launch view when available, Playalinda is pretty awesome when open, the Cocoa Beach boardwalk and U.S. 1 in Titusville are good standby options, and some of our folks swear by the 528/A1A pull-off… but the general rule of thumb, I would say, has to be: If you don’t know where to go to watch a launch (or if you want the best view of a SpaceX RTLS landing) head for SR-401 in Port Canaveral.

Some caveats:

• There are no amenities there, so bring water and maybe snacks and don’t expect access to a bathroom.
• If you’re using cabs or Uber to get there, make sure you have plenty of charge on your cellphone, and possibly a spare battery, as there are no public phones that I’m aware of.
• The area is largely unpaved and grassy, and not hugely friendly to wheels, so if you are mobility-impaired in any way, allow extra time and energy to get from your car to where you’ll want to be. (It is doable in a wheelchair or mobility scooter, just… somewhat tricky.)
• If you’re heading there after dark, a small flashlight is useful to light the ground in front of your feet or wheels.
• You’ll be by the water, so bring insect repellent: Florida ‘skeeters are fierce.
• Most importantly, this is a well-known and much-loved spot for locals and Launch Rats, so make sure you get there early to acquire parking and find your viewing spot.
• As of this writing, there are no fees charged for parking in any of the spots I’m familiar with, so that’s a plus.

And what, you may ask, are the views from 401 like? Well, here’s my un-zoomed cellphone video from CRS-15 (near the viewing stands, at water’s edge). Enjoy.

Have more questions? Drop me a line at wayward@launchrats.com and I’ll answer them as best I can!

Liftoff! SpaceX Falcon 9 carrying Dragon to the ISS on its CRS-15 mission, 29 June 2018.

The “space jellyfish” makes an appearance. Photo by Hunter.

Those who ventured out in the dark pre-sunrise hours to catch SpaceX’s CRS-15 launch were treated to a heck of a light show! Twilight launches can be subject to a phenomenon in which the light of the just-rising (or just-barely-set) sun catches the rocket’s plumes against the dark sky, lighting up the trails with brilliant, shifting colors and creating an effect some call the “space jellyfish”.

Though it can be strenuous to make it to those oh-so-early launches, it’s definitely worth the effort! Trust me, the photos and videos currently spreading across the internet do not come close to seeing the effect in person. These photos and the video below were all taken from the eastern side of SR 401, a tremendous spot for launch viewing.

Here’s hoping you were able to see this launch too – and if not? Well, there’s always next time.

(Photos by Hunter. Video by Wayward.)

Carol R. writes:

“I’m trying to find the best place to watch a rocket launch on July 31st 37B and was wondering if you could tell me some places to look into?”

It’s easy to figure out where you want to view a launch from, when that launch occurs during regular daylight hours: Kennedy Space Center often offers excellent viewing options, and the parks along U.S. 1 are always a safe bet. But what do you do when the rocket is launching in the late night or early morning hours, when Kennedy Space Center and many parks are closed?

This is a dilemma many of us face, especially during the course of the next few anticipated launches: SpaceX‘s CRS-15 launch to the ISS is currently slated to go up at 5:41 am on June 29th, and ULA‘s Parker Solar Probe launch is currently scheduled for August 4th at 3:57 am. Where, exactly, does one go at this time of day (night) to watch the rocket launch?

Because Brevard County parks are listed as being open to the public from dawn until dusk only, and in fact the parking areas for many of the U.S. 1 parks are gated at night, this limits many options ordinarily available. At this point, I don’t yet know what’s technically allowed after hours. We’re currently researching this, and hope to have a complete and official list of Do’s and Don’ts available here in the near future.

In the meantime, note that Exploration Tower is – rather unexpectedly! – offering VIP Launch Viewing for the upcoming CRS-15 launch, and will be opening at 5 am on June 29th to accommodate ticket holders only. For tickets and more information, click here.

Hope to see you soon at an upcoming Launch Day!

It took two and a half hours for the LC-39 viewing for the TESS launch on April 16th to sell out. Tickets for Apollo/Saturn V Center remain available.

Welcome to the post-Falcon Heavy world.

Update: LC-39 Observation Gantry tickets are sold out. Apollo/Saturn V Center tickets are still available. https://t.co/eaABZaYLpT

— Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (@ExploreSpaceKSC) April 5, 2018