Anyone for a rocket launch to start the week? SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will potentially lift off Monday afternoon carrying Starlink Internet satellites.
Weather permitting, the rocket launch can be seen in the skies above Volusia County in the afternoon hours of Monday, May 6. Below is a calendar of upcoming rocket launches and how to watch this week’s SpaceX rocket launch.
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Here’s what we know about the rocket launches mentioned in FLORIDA TODAY’s rocket launch calendar for the month, which is updated frequently. (Check this link often for rocket launch times and dates, as they are routinely subject to change for various reasons.)
FLORIDA TODAY, USA TODAY’s Florida network newspaper, provides interactive launch coverage at floridatoday.com/space with frequent launch updates at least 90 minutes in advance, sometimes longer, depending on the mission. For questions or comments, email space reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or tweet him @rickneale1 of X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter.
Did SpaceX launch from Florida? Monday, May 6: SpaceX Starlink
SpaceX has not publicly confirmed that mission, but a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational alert indicates the Starlink launch window will open Monday morning ahead of NASA’s Boeing Starliner mission.
Here are some details about SpaceX’s upcoming Falcon 9 rocket launch:
- Mission: SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket will launch a batch of Starlink Internet satellites from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
- Launch window: 11:34 AM to 4:05 PM EDT on Monday, May 6.
- location: Start complex 40.
- Trajectory: Southeast.
- Local sound boom: No.
- Booster Landing: A drone ship in the Atlantic Ocean.
- Live Streaming: Starts 90 minutes before takeoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Where can I watch SpaceX rocket launches online?
If you want to watch live coverage of a rocket launch, FLORIDA TODAY’s space team will provide updates at floridatoday.com/space starting about 90 minutes before launch time. You can download the free app for iPhone or Android or enter floridatoday.com/space in your browser.
In Volusia County, just north of Brevard County—home to the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station—you can get a great view of a SpaceX, NASA or United Launch Alliance rocket launch.
The best vantage points for watching a rocket launch from here are along the beach. Look south. Readers also reported seeing rocket launches from New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach. Here are some recommended places:
• Nova Smyrna South Beach (Canaveral National Seashore), parking fees may apply. New Smyrna Beach offers 17 miles of white sand beaches. An eclectic and quaint beach town, despite its reputation as the “Shark Bite Capital of the World,” New Smyrna Beach has always been a haven for surfers who come for the waves.
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• Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach, which is 5.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and one mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to the Canaveral National Seashore, has restrooms, picnic pavilions, showers and nearly 800 feet of beach boardwalk, according to the beach’s website Volusia County. The nearby riverfront park area is across South Atlantic Avenue with tennis courts, pickleball courts, basketball and volleyball courts, playground, fishing pier and restrooms. The river by the park can be a great place to watch manatees, dolphins and pelicans.
• Apollo Beach at Canaveral National Seashore (south of New Smyrna Beach). Canaveral National Seashore runs along Florida’s east coast in Volusia County and Brevard County. To get to Apollo Beach, take Interstate 95 to exit 249, then travel east until you turn onto State Road A1A. Follow SR A1A south to the park entrance.
• Oak Hill Riverbank is the southernmost city in South Volusia County.
• Sunrise Park275 River Road, Oak Hill
• Goodrich’s Seafood and Oyster House back deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill
• Seminole Rest National Historic Site211 River Road, Oak Hill
• Riverbreeze Park250 HH Burch Road, Oak Hill
• Mary Dewis Park, 178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill. Facilities include a rental building, playground, baseball field, basketball courts, tennis courts, outdoor restrooms, pavilions, picnic areas and grills.
• Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill. Facilities include a playground, baseball field, basketball courts, outdoor pavilion and restrooms.
• Jimmy Van Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill. This location has about 350 feet of beautifully restored shoreline, according to the city of Oak Hill online. Facilities include a pavilion, picnic tables and kayaking facilities.
• AC Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill. Facilities include a 520-foot observation pier with two covered decks and seating, according to the city of Oak Hill’s website.
• Bird watching pier on River Road across from the AC Delbert Municipal Pier (see above). Facilities include a 100-foot observation pier.
Rick Neal is a space reporter at FLORIDA TODAY (for more of his stories, Press here.) Contact Neale at 321-242-3638 or rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
