Get your coffee or favorite caffeinated drink ready − there may be a very late-night, or possibly early morning, rocket launch.
The familiar sight of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket has been absent from Fun Coast skies the past two weeks — but the Federal Aviation Administration has granted the company permission to return to flight amid its ongoing anomaly investigation.
SpaceX is targeting 12:21 a.m. Saturday, July 27, for its next Falcon 9 mission. The 230-foot rocket will launch 23 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit from launch pad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in neighboring Brevard County.
FAA officials had grounded the Falcon 9 rocket fleet while SpaceX studied why a second-stage engine failed following a July 11 launch from Vandenburg Space Force Base in California. The engine suffered a liquid oxygen leak — and 20 Starlink satellites got deployed into a lower-than-intended orbit and later burned up in the atmosphere.
SpaceX announced the findings of its engineering review, blaming a liquid oxygen leak that developed within the insulation around the upper-stage engine. In tandem, the FAA granted approval for the Falcon 9 to return to flight and announced that “no public safety issues were involved in the anomaly.”
Below is information on the latest launch along with links to a weather radar and beach webcams. If there are changes to this launch, this story will be updated.
Is there a rocket launch today?Upcoming SpaceX, NASA, ULA rocket launch schedule in Florida
Is there a rocket launch from Florida? The next is Saturday, July 27: SpaceX Starlink 10-9
SpaceX has another Starlink mission from Cape Canaveral. The launch window occurs when most people are sleeping.
However, the bright side is this: Night launches have a different kind of view and offer creativity as far as space photography. But don’t just take our word for it, click on the video playlist with this story or view the photo gallery above.
- Mission: A Falcon 9 rocket will launch a batch of 23 Starlink internet satellites from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center.
- Launch: 12:21 a.m., with backup opportunities available until 4:21 a.m. EDT Saturday, July 27
- Location: Launch pad 39A
- Trajectory: Northeast
- Local sonic boom: No
- Booster landing: Drone ship out in the Atlantic Ocean
- Live coverage: If you want to watch live rocket launch coverage, FLORIDA TODAY’s Space Team will provide updates at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type floridatoday.com/space into your browser.
Weather radar for Daytona Beach, Florida. Will weather cancel a rocket launch?
Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Fun Coast and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache.
Live beach webcam for New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Can’t see the New Smyrna Beach north beach webcam? Click on this link
Live beach webcam for Ormond Beach, Florida
Can’t see the Ormond Beach North webcam? Click on this link
Can’t see the Ormond Beach South webcam? Click on this link
In Volusia County, immediately north of Brevard County — home to 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 views to watch a rocket launch from here is along the beach. Look due south. Readers have also mentioned seeing a rocket launch from New Smyrna Beach, Daytona Beach and Ormond Beach. Here are some recommended spots:
• South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore), there may be parking costs. New Smyrna Beach features 17 miles of white sandy 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.
Dinner and a launch:Perfect for a SpaceX or NASA rocket launch, best waterfront restaurants in Volusia County
• Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach, which is 3.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and one mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to Canaveral National Seashore Park, has restrooms, picnic pavilions, showers and nearly 800 feet of beachfront sidewalk, according to Volusia County’s site. The nearby riverside park area is across South Atlantic Avenue with tennis courts, pickle ball courts, basketball and volleyball courts, playground, fishing pier and restrooms. The river by the park can be a great viewing spot for 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 access Apollo Beach, take Interstate 95 to exit 249, then travel east until it turns into State Road A1A. Follow SR A1A south to the park entrance.
• Oak Hill riverfront is the southernmost city in South Volusia County.
• Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill
• Goodrich’s Seafood and Oyster House back deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill
• Seminole Rest national historic site, 211 River Road, Oak Hill
• Riverbreeze Park, 250 H.H. Burch Road, Oak Hill
• Mary Dewees 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.
• Jimmie Vann 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 kayak launching facilities.
• A.C. Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill. Facilities include a 520-foot observation pier with two covered decks and seating, the city of Oak Hill site states.
• Bird Observation Pier on River Road across from A.C. Delbert Municipal Pier (see above). Facilities include a 100-foot observation pier.
Rocket launch photo from Port Orange, Florida
Rocket launch photos from New Smyrna Beach, Florida
Rocket launch photos from Daytona Beach, Florida
Rocket launch photo from Ormond-by-the-Sea, Florida
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
