SpaceX late-night rocket launch in Florida: What time is liftoff, what to know

Jennifer Sangalang, Rick Neale, Lianna Norman and Kimberly Miller, 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.

Rocket launch tally: Here's a list of all 2025 missions from Cape Canaveral, Florida (psst, there's a lot)

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 a Florida rocket launch in Palm Beach County: What does a West Palm Beach rocket launch view look like?

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, 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.

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From Cape Canaveral, Florida, to West Palm Beach, Florida, it's about 150 miles.

What the views look like: Rocket launches from Cape Canaveral spotted in West Palm Beach

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.

If the forecast is for clear skies and you want a better view, some good places to watch the rocket launch from Palm Beach County include:

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida: When to look up in Palm Beach County