A so Florida thing is coming up to kick off the weekend. A rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is scheduled for the same day as the first full moon of May 2026 (yes, there are two full moons in May this year).
SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying 29 Starlink broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit on Friday, May 1. The four-hour launch window opens up 10 minutes after the May 1 full moon peaks in the sky.
Though rockets here launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, people from the Treasure Coast 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.
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.
Is there a rocket launch from Florida today? Next launch is Friday, May 1
SpaceX Starlink 10-38
Where to watch a rocket launch in Sebastian, Vero Beach, Florida
Where to watch a rocket launch in Fort Pierce, Jensen Beach, Florida
Where to watch a rocket launch in Stuart, Florida
Watch rocket launches with NASA on Prime Video
Watch NASA+ content with Amazon 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.
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, 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 https://floridatoday.com/newsletters.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: SpaceX rocket launch this weekend. See liftoff from the Treasure Coast
Reporting by Lianna Norman, Jennifer Sangalang, Rick Neale, Brooke Edwards and Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY NETWORK – Florida / Treasure Coast Newspapers
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
