Godspeed, Crew-12!
Four crew members from three space agencies, NASA’s Crew-12, will launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon spacecraft to the International Space Station.
If all goes according to plan, the launch will blast off from Florida’s East Coast in the early morning ahead of Valentine’s Day weekend.
Though rockets here launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, people from the Treasure Coast — Indian River County, Martin County and St. Lucie County — can sometimes see this phenomenon.
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 after makes for a great photo.
Below is more information on the next rocket launch from Florida and suggestions on where to watch it from the Treasure Coast. If there are changes to the launch, this story will be updated.
For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY 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.
When is the next rocket launch in Florida? Wednesday, February 11, NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12
What is NASA Crew-12 mission in Florida about? Who are the astronauts?
NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 astronauts arrived on Florida’s Space Coast Friday, Feb. 6, ahead of the launch. NASA is targeting Wednesday, Feb. 11, for liftoff.
Crew-12 is scheduled to take flight at 6:01 a.m. from Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for an eight-month mission aboard the International Space Station. They will board a SpaceX Dragon spacecraft atop a Falcon 9, and their ISS target docking time is set for about 10:30 a.m., Thursday, Feb. 12.
Crew-12 consists of NASA astronauts Jessica Meir (commander) and Jack Hathaway (pilot), European Space Agency astronaut Sophie Adenot (mission specialist), and Roscosmos cosmonaut Andrey Fedyaev (mission specialist).
Where to watch a rocket launch in Indian River County, Florida
Where to watch a rocket launch in St. Lucie County, Florida
Where to watch a rocket launch in Martin County, Florida
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Subscribe to the free Florida TODAY newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: NASA’s SpaceX Crew-12 rocket launch in Florida. Time, date of liftoff
Reporting by Jennifer Sangalang, Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
