SpaceX's mighty Falcon Heavy rocket is due to roar into the skies once again, putting on a show for Florida spectators as it soars overhead.
If all goes according to plan, the bigger, badder and far, far more powerful Falcon Heavy spacecraft, similar to SpaceX's well-known Falcon 9 rocket
, will help transport a secretive government payload to Earth orbit from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday, Oct. 1.Will it be visible in Palm Beach County? It's happened before (see photos below).
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
Weather permitting and depending on cloud cover and trajectory, a rocket launch from Florida’s Space Coast could be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach and as far south as 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 afterward makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket launch from Florida, suggestions on where to watch it and how to watch some launches with NASA+ on Prime Video.
For questions or comments, email USA TODAY Network Space Reporters Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com, Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com or Eric Lagatta at elagatta@usatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
Where can I watch a rocket launch in Florida?
A rocket launch with a northeast trajectory can be visible as far north as Jacksonville Beach, Florida, which is about 160 miles north of Cape Canaveral (about a two-hour and 30-minute car ride, depending on which route you take).
Rocket launches with a southeast trajectory can be seen as far south as West Palm Beach, Florida, which is about 150 miles south of Cape Canaveral (about a two-hour-and-20-minute car ride).
Rocket launches are most visible from the Space Coast, where they launch from, and are often visible from the Treasure Coast and Volusia County as well.
Photos show SpaceX rocket launches visible from West Palm Beach, Florida
Thursday, Oct. 1, SpaceX NROL-97 with Falcon Heavy rocket
- Mission: A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch a secretive national-security payload designed, built and operated by the National Reconnaissance Office.
- Launch: 11:53 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct. 1, 2026
- Launch trajectory: TBA
- Launch location: Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida
- Sonic booms for Florida's Space Coast: Yes
- Live FLORIDA TODAY Space Team coverage: Starts two hours before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.
Watch some rocket launches with NASA+ on Prime Video
NASA content, including some rocket launches, is available to watch through NASA+ on desktop, both from its official site and YouTube. The platform is also available to download as a mobile app on smartphones.
All NASA+ content is also available to those who have Prime Video downloaded on any of their devices – whether it be a smartphone or smart TV.
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon Prime Video
The content, which does not require a Prime subscription to view, is one of Prime Video's FAST channels (free ad-supported television). Viewers can find it under Prime's Live TV section at the top of the screen when they open the app.
Lianna Norman and Jennifer Sangalang.are trending reporters for the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida, covering pop culture, lotteries, rocket launches, Florida wildlife, breaking news and more. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY, at floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Late-night SpaceX rocket launch. What time to look up in Palm Beach County
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