Historic SpaceX rocket launch this week: Where to watch in Palm Beach, West Palm, Boynton
Anyone ready for a very special and historic late-night rocket launch? Fram2, a private SpaceX spaceflight mission, is set to be the first human spaceflight mission to orbit around Earth's poles. And depending on weather, it might be visible in the sky above Palm Beach County.
Weather permitting, SpaceX will launch a Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft from NASA's Kennedy Space Center, carrying four first-time astronauts on Monday, March 31. And among the astronauts are two women — which is very appropriate to close out Women's History Month.
The astronauts aboard the Dragon spacecraft will be the first people to ever orbit around the earth's poles.
And there's expected to be a much less historic, routine rocket launch the evening before, on Sunday, March 30. Weather permitting, A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will deploy another batch of Starlink internet-beaming satellites into low-Earth orbit on Sunday evening.
Rockets launch from Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral, Florida, in Brevard County, which is an hour east of the Orlando theme parks.
Depending on cloud cover, weather, visibility and trajectory of the launch, people from Daytona Beach, to Boca Raton might get to see a nice streak in the sky — given the proximity to NASA's Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Below are suggestions on where to watch the rocket launch from in and around the Palm Beaches and other things to know. If there are changes to the launch schedule, this story will be updated.
Is there a launch today? Upcoming SpaceX, NASA rocket launch schedule at Cape Canaveral
For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at [email protected] or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at [email protected]. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
![The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rises above West Palm Beach after its 5:21 a.m. launch from Cape Canaveral Saturday, June 13, 2020.The contrail from the rocket, unconstrained by air pressure because it is so high, spread out, and quickly froze in the cold, dry air. The sun was still below the horizon, but the sun's rays reflected off the frozen exhaust. At the bottom of the oval, the first stage is firing its engines to slow it down and guide it to landing on the drone ship. [LANNIS WATERS/palmbeachpost.com]](https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/9hmJAqiYW6R7gRCHrfB1cg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTY5MQ--/https://media.zenfs.com/en/palm_beach_post_natl_articles_437/f92576a4b1f4fd6e6a92dd27b1bb07dc)
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket rises above West Palm Beach after its 5:21 a.m. launch from Cape Canaveral Saturday, June 13, 2020.The contrail from the rocket, unconstrained by air pressure because it is so high, spread out, and quickly froze in the cold, dry air. The sun was still below the horizon, but the sun's rays reflected off the frozen exhaust. At the bottom of the oval, the first stage is firing its engines to slow it down and guide it to landing on the drone ship. [LANNIS WATERS/palmbeachpost.com]
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, yes, some rocket launches from the Space Coast can be visible in Palm Beach County. When there’s a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, with a southeast trajectory, there’s an opportunity for unique photos. Some examples include United Launch Alliance's Delta IV Heavy rocket launch and SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket.
From Cape Canaveral to West Palm Beach, it's about 150 miles.
Below are suggestions on where to watch them and photos of previous rocket launches as seen from around Palm Beach County.
Rocket launches from Cape Canaveral spotted in West Palm Beach
The crew of the Fram2 mission, which will be the first to orbit the poles, pose during their SpaceX training.
Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando 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.
A SpaceX rocket launched near NASA's Kennedy Space Center was spotted in West Palm Beach! From Cape Canaveral to West Palm Beach, Florida, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of Starlink internet satellites lifted off at 6:56 p.m. March 4, 2024.
Rocket launches from Cape Canaveral can often be seen from Palm Beach County, and it can be as easy as walking out of your house and looking north. Try to get away from any obstructions, such as trees, tall buildings, and bright lights. Obviously, cloud cover can also get in the way.
Rocket launch photos from around West Palm Beach, Florida
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This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: SpaceX rocket launch: Where to watch from Palm Beach, West Palm, Boca
