The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander from Cape Canaveral is seen from Vero Beach, Florida, U.S., February 26, 2025. REUTERS/Sam Wolfe

Can a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, be seen farther south, in Treasure Coast skies? If the conditions are right, yes!

Though rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Merritt Island, Florida, or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, people from the Treasure Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon.

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 and as far south as Vero Beach and West Palm Beach (see videos and photo gallery with this story).

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.

Below is more information on rocket launches in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them from the Treasure Coast.

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.

When is the next SpaceX rocket launch in Florida? No earlier than Wednesday, July 2: SpaceX Starlink 10-25

Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch a payload of Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit, a Federal Aviation Administration operations plan advisory shows.
Launch window: 1:29 a.m. ET on Wednesday, July 2
Location: Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.
Sonic booms: No.
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.

Where to watch a rocket launch in Indian River County, Florida

Sebastian Inlet State Park, 9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida (cost to enter)
Wabasso Beach Park, 1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso, Florida
Ambersands Beach Park, 12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking)
South Beach Park, 1700 Ocean Drive, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking)
Merrill Barber Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida
Alma Lee Loy Bridge in Vero Beach, Florida

Where to watch a rocket launch in St. Lucie County, Florida

Fort Pierce Inlet State Park, 905 Shorewinds Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
Blind Creek Beachside North and South, 5460 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
Blue Heron Beach, 2101 Blue Heron Blvd., Fort Pierce, Florida
Frederick Douglass Memorial Park, 3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
Dollman Park Beachside, 9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida
Herman's Bay Beach, 7880 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida
John Brooks Park Beachside, 3300 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
Middle Cove Beach, 4600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida
Normandy Beach in Jensen Beach, Florida
Pepper Park Beachside, 3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce, Florida
Walton Rocks Beach, 6700 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida (dog park)
Waveland Beach, 10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida