A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is on the horizon — and when this “so Florida” thing occurs, it's very Instagram-worthy.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will potentially launch a GPS satellite for the U.S. Space Force on Friday, May 30.

Though rockets here blast off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida, people beyond the Space Coast can sometimes see this phenomenon.

Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast could be visible from Jacksonville Beach and Daytona Beach to 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.

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? Friday, May 30: SpaceX GPS III-7

Mission: SpaceX will launch a Lockheed Martin-built GPS III satellite for the Space Force's Space Systems Command atop a Falcon 9 rocket.
Launch window: 1:23 p.m. to 2:08 p.m. ET Friday, May 30, 2025
Launch location: Launch complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida
Sonics booms: TBA
Trajectory: TBA
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?

Radar

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 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

Where to watch a rocket launch in Martin County, Florida

State Road A1A causeway in Stuart, Florida
House of Refuge and beach, 301 S.E. MacArthur Blvd., Stuart, Florida

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: SpaceX rocket to launch GPS satellite from Florida for the Space Force: When is liftoff?