What time is the SpaceX rocket launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida today?

What time is the SpaceX rocket launching from Cape Canaveral, Florida today?

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A so Florida thing to do is to follow: a Falcon 9 rocket will fly into the sky, sending a batch of Internet satellites into orbit.

If all goes according to plan, it will be another successful Starlink mission for SpaceX — and it’s possible that people watching the rocket launch live outside will be able to see it go by. The release is scheduled for the evening of Saturday, February 21.

Rockets launch here from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Merritt Island, Fla., or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, and people in and around Brevard County usually have the best chance of seeing this phenomenon in the sky. Friends who are north of us in Volusia County or south of us on Florida’s Treasure Coast can also depending on weather, cloud cover and launch trajectory. Sometimes a rocket launch in Cape Canaveral can be seen as far south as West Palm Beach.

When there is a launch window at night or very early in the morning, there is an opportunity for unique photos – the rocket lights up the dark sky and the contrail after makes a great photo.

Is there a rocket launch today? Next NASA, SpaceX, ULA launch program in Florida

Below is more information about the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions for where to watch it in person (or virtually via the USA TODAY Network’s space team).

For questions or comments, email our space reporters Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com, Brooke Edwards at bedswards@floridatoday.com or Eric Lagatta at elagatta@usatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.

When is the next rocket launch in Florida? Saturday, February 21, 2026: SpaceX Starlink 6-104

  • Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will lift 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low Earth orbit.

  • Launch window: (overnight) 9:04 PM ET Saturday, February 21, 2026 to 1:04 AM ET Sunday, February 22, 2026

  • Launch trajectory: southeast

  • Launch Location: Launch Complex 40 at the Cape Canaveral Space Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida

  • Sonic Booms for Florida’s Space Coast (Titusville, Merritt Island, Melbourne area): Not

  • Live coverage begins 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can follow live coverage of the rocket launch from the USA TODAY Network’s space team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visual 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 in your browser

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

National Weather Service-Melbourne radar is shown, showing real-time conditions for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. This radar is useful if you are outside watching the launch and need real-time weather. The current date and time appear in the lower right of this built-in radar; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache.

Where to watch the SpaceX Florida rocket launch from Merritt Island, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne

Almost anywhere in Brevard, you’ll have a view of the rocket launch – in certain areas, you can get an amazing view of the SpaceX rocket boosters returning to the pad. The best view to watch a Space Coast rocket launch is along the beach. However, visibility will depend on weather conditions and people should ensure they do not block traffic or rights of way on bridges and follow the rules posted on the beaches.

If you’re watching the launch along the Indian River in Titusville from Space View Park or Parrish Park, look east directly across the river.

If you are further south along the Indian River, look northeast.

Playalinda Beach or Canaveral National Seashore is the closest place to see the launch as it is almost parallel to Launch Pad 39A. On the beach, look south along the coast (you can even see the pad from some places).

Some hotspots to check out:

  • Jetty Park Beach and Jetty400 Jetty Park Road, Port Canaveral. Please note, there is a charge for parking.

  • Playalinda beach1000 Playalinda Beach Road, Canaveral National Seashore. Please note, there is a fee for parking and access to Canaveral National Seashore is not always granted based on capacity and time of day.

  • Max Brewer Bridge and Parrish Park1 A. Max Brewer Memorial Parkway, Titusville. Note that parking is available on both sides of the Max Brewer Bridge.

  • Space View Park8 Broad St., Titusville

  • Sand Point Park10 E. Max Brewer Causeway, Titusville

  • Rotary Riverfront Park4141 S. Washington Ave., Titusville

  • Riverfront Park in Cocoa Village401 Riveredge Blvd., Cocoa (just before State Road 520 Causeway)

  • Rotary Park1899 S. Courtenay Parkway, Merritt Island

  • Kiwanis Park on Kiwanis Island Park Road on Merritt Island

  • Port Canaveralwith ships from Disney Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean in port

  • Alan Shepard Park299 E. Cocoa Beach Causeway, Cocoa Beach. Please note that there may be parking charges.

  • Cocoa Beach Pier401 Meade Ave. The parking fee varies.

  • Lori Wilson Park1400 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Lori Wilson Park has a dog park, by the way.

  • Sidney Fischer Park2200 N. Atlantic Ave., Cocoa Beach. Please note that there may be parking charges.

  • Downtown Cocoa Beachalong the Minutemen Causeway

  • Tables Beach197 SR A1A, Plaja Satelit

  • The Tides on SR A1A in Satellite Beach

  • Various parks, including the Pelican Beach Clubhouse, in Satellite Beach

  • Front Street Park near Melbourne (US 192) Causeway and US 1 in Melbourne

  • Indianlantic Promenade at Melbourne Causeway and SR A1A

  • Paradise Beach Parkaka Howard Futch Park, 2301 SR A1A, Melbourne (this is a beach park)

  • Sebastian Inlet Park9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach (there is a cost to enter)

Where to watch a rocket launch in the Vero Beach Florida area

  • Sebastian Inlet State Park9700 S. State Road A1A, Melbourne Beach, Florida (admission fee)

  • Wabasso Beach Park1808 Wabasso Beach Road, Wabasso, Florida

  • Ambersands Beach Park12566 N. SR A1A, Vero Beach, Florida (free parking)

  • South Beach Park1700 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 Jensen Beach, Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Fort Pierce Inlet State Park905 Shorewinds Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Blind Creek Beachside North and South, 5460 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Blue Heron Beach2101 Blue Heron Blvd., Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Frederick Douglass Memorial Park3600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Dollman Park Beachside9200 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida

  • Herman’s Bay Beach7880 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida

  • John Brooks Park Beachside3300 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Middle Cove Beach4600 S. Ocean Drive, Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Normandy Beach in Jensen Beach, Florida

  • Pepper Park Beachside3302 N. SR A1A, Fort Pierce, Florida

  • Walton Rocks Beach6700 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, FL (Dog Park)

  • Waveland Beach10350 S. Ocean Drive, Jensen Beach, Florida

Where to watch a rocket launch near Stuart, Florida

  • State road A1A in Stuart, Florida

  • The refuge house and the beach301 SE MacArthur Blvd., Stuart, Florida

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

In Volusia County, just north of Brevard County, home to the 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 are along the beach. Look south. Recommended places:

• South New Smyrna Beach (Canaveral National Seashore)

• Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach is 5.5 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 stretches 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.

• on the banks of the Oak Hill River is the southernmost city in South Volusia County.

• Sunrise Park275 River Road, Oak Hill

• Goodrich’s Seafood and Oyster House rear deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill

• Seminole Rest National Historic Site211 River Road, Oak Hill

• Riverbreeze Park250 HH Burch Road, Oak Hill

• Mary Dewees Park178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill

• Nancy Cummings Park232 Cummings St., Oak Hill

• Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park275 River Road, Oak Hill

• AC Municipal Pier Delbert Dewees243 River Road, Oak Hill

• Bird watching pier on River Road across from AC Delbert Municipal Pier (see above)

• Rose Bay in Port Orange, Florida

• BEACHES along New Smyrna Beach, Florida

• New Smyrna Beach InletNew Smyrna Beach Lifeguard Station

• Halifax Marina in Daytona Beach, Florida

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

• George R. Kennedy Memorial Park in Edgewater, Florida

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This article originally appeared on Florida Today: SpaceX rocket launch in Florida. What time is the Cape Canaveral takeoff?

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