SpaceX late-night rocket launch in Florida: Where to see liftoff from Daytona to New Smyrna Beach

Jennifer Sangalang and Rick Neale, USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida
·4 min read

A late-night rocket launch from Florida is on the horizon.

SpaceX is set to launch a batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit on June 22 from Cape Canaveral.

Rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to as far south as Vero Beach and West Palm Beach. When there’s a launch window in the middle of the night or very early morning, there’s an opportunity for unique photos — the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes for a great photo.

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Below is more information about the SpaceX rocket launch in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them from here.

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For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.

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When is the next SpaceX Starlink rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida? Starlink 10-23

  • Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a payload of Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit, a National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency navigational warning shows.

  • Launch window: 1:47 a.m. to 6:17 a.m. ET Sunday, June 22, 2025

  • Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida

  • Trajectory: Northeast

  • Live coverage starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, 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.

Live weather radar: Will it rain in Melbourne, Cocoa Beach or Cape Canaveral, Florida, today? Will weather cancel a rocket launch?

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.

Where to see Florida rocket launch in Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach area

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. Recommended spots:

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• South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore)

• Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach is 3.5 miles south of New Smyrna Beach and one mile north of the Apollo Beach entrance to Canaveral National Seashore Park.

• 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

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• 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

• Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill

• Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill

• A.C. Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill

• Bird Observation Pier on River Road across from A.C. Delbert Municipal Pier (see above)

• Rose Bay in Port Orange, Florida

• beaches along New Smyrna Beach, Florida

• New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach lifeguard station

• Halifax Harbor Marina in Daytona Beach, Florida

• Ormond-by-the-Sea in Ormond Beach, Florida

• George R. Kennedy Memorial Park in Edgewater, Florida

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: When to see in Daytona, New Smyrna