Help me plan a rocket launch viewing vacation
July 6, 2023 3:14 PM Subscribe
One of these years, I'd really like to take my kid to see a real rocket launch. Preferably in the next few years. I'd like to some help thinking about the overall experience from folks who know.
I think the best scenario is finding a forum of people who like rocket launches and have been to many before so I can ask questions.
I know about some launch sites like Hainan island, Baikonur, Boca Chica, Cape Canaveral, Kouru, etc. But I don't know about the experience of going to see a launch as a tourist.
I'd go to some of these locations for this reason only, but it has to be not-terrible for the non-launch times, too.
Best case scenario is seeing a launch with humans aboard. Worst case is having a miserable time and seeing a launch that is somehow unimpressive (maybe no good vantage point?)
Scrubs are of course a thing and I don't know how to plan around those.
Where do people discuss these things? I feel that there has to be a community of people who are super into this because it's rockets and it seems like there is no limit on the upper end of enthusiasts in this area.
I think the most important thing for me is: how nice is it in the days around the launch attempts? I can read lots about the good things to do in Florida, but what about French Guiana or Jiuquan or Wenchang or wherever? I don't think this can be a regular thing so I'd like it to be memorable in more than one way.
I think the best scenario is finding a forum of people who like rocket launches and have been to many before so I can ask questions.
I know about some launch sites like Hainan island, Baikonur, Boca Chica, Cape Canaveral, Kouru, etc. But I don't know about the experience of going to see a launch as a tourist.
I'd go to some of these locations for this reason only, but it has to be not-terrible for the non-launch times, too.
Best case scenario is seeing a launch with humans aboard. Worst case is having a miserable time and seeing a launch that is somehow unimpressive (maybe no good vantage point?)
Scrubs are of course a thing and I don't know how to plan around those.
Where do people discuss these things? I feel that there has to be a community of people who are super into this because it's rockets and it seems like there is no limit on the upper end of enthusiasts in this area.
I think the most important thing for me is: how nice is it in the days around the launch attempts? I can read lots about the good things to do in Florida, but what about French Guiana or Jiuquan or Wenchang or wherever? I don't think this can be a regular thing so I'd like it to be memorable in more than one way.
Statistics on space launch postponements
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:46 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:46 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I mainly know about launches from Cape Canaveral. The bigger the rocket, the more boom, the more exciting. SpaceX launches are cool because you can see the boosters return. Night launches are cool. Sunset/sunrise launches are WAY cool because you can see the color gradients on the smoke trail.
There are people that are really into this. Unless I was invited to KSC, I often would go to Jetty Park or the boat ramp outside of the park. There are better places, but this one is convenient.
Scrubs are a fact of life. At least on the Space Coast you've got plenty of beach stuff or Disney World stuff to do. There's more complexity and more rigor on the big, expensive, politically precarious launches (i.e. SLS) than on the small commercial launches (i.e. Falcon 9) so you're more likely to get scrubbed on the former.
As far as weather, you'll just have to play the averages. I'd avoid summer for the best chance of a clear day.
Pro Tip: Know where the launch pad is in advance, and keep your eye on it! I can't count how many times I've missed the first 20 seconds because I was looking in the wrong direction, or there was a building in the way. If you aren't sure, ask somebody. And remember that any streaming internet feed is going to be delayed, so get ready at T-30.
posted by credulous at 5:00 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
There are people that are really into this. Unless I was invited to KSC, I often would go to Jetty Park or the boat ramp outside of the park. There are better places, but this one is convenient.
Scrubs are a fact of life. At least on the Space Coast you've got plenty of beach stuff or Disney World stuff to do. There's more complexity and more rigor on the big, expensive, politically precarious launches (i.e. SLS) than on the small commercial launches (i.e. Falcon 9) so you're more likely to get scrubbed on the former.
As far as weather, you'll just have to play the averages. I'd avoid summer for the best chance of a clear day.
Pro Tip: Know where the launch pad is in advance, and keep your eye on it! I can't count how many times I've missed the first 20 seconds because I was looking in the wrong direction, or there was a building in the way. If you aren't sure, ask somebody. And remember that any streaming internet feed is going to be delayed, so get ready at T-30.
posted by credulous at 5:00 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Your best chance for a nice tourism experience overall is probably going to be viewing a launch from Cape Canaveral/Kennedy Space Center. As you noted there is plenty of other fun stuff in the surrounding Florida area to make a good trip of it in case the launch scrubs, which yes, you really can't plan around. There are also several crewed launches a year out of there! The only other place you'd possibly be able to see one of those in the USA right now would be Spaceport America in New Mexico, and it appears they don't allow public launch viewing. You can see launches from Vandenberg in California too from several places off base, but just due to geography (hills) and weather (tendency for fog) the lines of sight aren't as good or as close as you can get at Cape Canaveral, and there are no crewed launches out of there.
I used to work at a company that sent commercial satellites out for launches from Baikonur or Kourou - this was about 10 years ago, and I never traveled to those sites myself to see in person, but I was told by colleagues that did that there wasn't much in the way of entertainment outside of work at either of those sites. Besides that many (most?) launch sites around the world are used for military and/or intelligence service purposes as well as civilian ones, so some places (especially in China) may not be interested in letting tourists (especially Western ones) get very close.
As to where people discuss space launches in great depth online, I know of the NASASpaceflight.com forums (despite the name, they cover commercial launches and non-USA countries as well) and Reddit - here is the SpaceX subreddit with a big FAQ on watching launches right up top. You may be able to dig further in those places to find more information about non-USA launch sites but I suspect they are likely to be pretty remotely located without a whole lot going on other than the launch center itself, if they even allow visitors in the first place.
Good luck to you! Space exploration is fun and inspiring, and to me there really isn't anything quite like being close enough to a launch to feel it. I saw one of the last few Space Shuttle launches before the fleet was retired, from the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC, and it remains in the top 10 experiences of my life.
posted by sigmagalator at 5:56 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I used to work at a company that sent commercial satellites out for launches from Baikonur or Kourou - this was about 10 years ago, and I never traveled to those sites myself to see in person, but I was told by colleagues that did that there wasn't much in the way of entertainment outside of work at either of those sites. Besides that many (most?) launch sites around the world are used for military and/or intelligence service purposes as well as civilian ones, so some places (especially in China) may not be interested in letting tourists (especially Western ones) get very close.
As to where people discuss space launches in great depth online, I know of the NASASpaceflight.com forums (despite the name, they cover commercial launches and non-USA countries as well) and Reddit - here is the SpaceX subreddit with a big FAQ on watching launches right up top. You may be able to dig further in those places to find more information about non-USA launch sites but I suspect they are likely to be pretty remotely located without a whole lot going on other than the launch center itself, if they even allow visitors in the first place.
Good luck to you! Space exploration is fun and inspiring, and to me there really isn't anything quite like being close enough to a launch to feel it. I saw one of the last few Space Shuttle launches before the fleet was retired, from the Apollo/Saturn V Center at KSC, and it remains in the top 10 experiences of my life.
posted by sigmagalator at 5:56 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Many years ago I happened to be swimming at Cocoa Beach during a launch and not only could everyone see the launch, you could hear it and hear everyone’s radios, and FEEL the vibrations in the water. A top life experience for me!
posted by kapers at 6:20 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by kapers at 6:20 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I'm back because I realized the Space Tourism Guide site I linked before for information on Vandenberg also includes a generic guide on How to Plan a Trip to See a Rocket Launch which looks like a pretty solid framework and has some particular info about Wallops Island in Virginia as well as Boca Chica in Texas, which are other US sites you could potentially watch a launch from (though again, no crewed launches, unless SpaceX starts launching people on Starship out of Boca Chica in your window of the next few years!).
posted by sigmagalator at 6:41 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by sigmagalator at 6:41 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
See if you can keep an eye out for a Falcon Heavy launch. I went to the first one a few years back and it was amazing. Took off on our left, boosters returned on our right (complete with sonic booms). We were out on a bit sandy highway spit that is commonly used for watching launches, there's lots of space.
I thought Cape Canaveral was pretty ordinary in our off days but there's plenty of interesting stuff to visit - obviously space focused museums and things. Plus there's a significant chance if you strike up a conversation with your neighbor at the bar or whatever, it turns out they were a Space Shuttle engineer or something. (This happened to us.)
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 8:06 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
I thought Cape Canaveral was pretty ordinary in our off days but there's plenty of interesting stuff to visit - obviously space focused museums and things. Plus there's a significant chance if you strike up a conversation with your neighbor at the bar or whatever, it turns out they were a Space Shuttle engineer or something. (This happened to us.)
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 8:06 PM on July 6, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh, I'm an expert on this, but it's late. I'll post on this tomorrow. OPP, be sure to come back and check for later replies!
posted by intermod at 8:33 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by intermod at 8:33 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
I thought Cape Canaveral was pretty ordinary in our off days but there's plenty of interesting stuff to visit - obviously space focused museums and things.
I'll post just this last answer and then try to leave the thread be for others, but just wanted to add: the immediate area around Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center is just kind of Florida beach town zone. It is nice enough, but it could indeed get a little boring after a couple days. The good news there though is the area is only about an hour's drive from Orlando, so it's very easy to last-minute change the plans for your day to a theme park or some other big tourist attraction that could keep your kid happy in the event of a launch scrub. Definitely an easier redirect than, say, trying to drive from Lompoc CA near Vandenberg down to LA would be.
posted by sigmagalator at 8:42 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
I'll post just this last answer and then try to leave the thread be for others, but just wanted to add: the immediate area around Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center is just kind of Florida beach town zone. It is nice enough, but it could indeed get a little boring after a couple days. The good news there though is the area is only about an hour's drive from Orlando, so it's very easy to last-minute change the plans for your day to a theme park or some other big tourist attraction that could keep your kid happy in the event of a launch scrub. Definitely an easier redirect than, say, trying to drive from Lompoc CA near Vandenberg down to LA would be.
posted by sigmagalator at 8:42 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]
Best answer: First I'll talk mostly about Florida. As already mentioned above, Ben Cooper has the best information for launch viewing there. He describes each location and their visibility to the pads. I will caution you that, in most cases, you are quite far from the launch pad (like 10 miles) and you won't hear much, and what you do hear will arrive a full minute after the liftoff. It's a bit surreal to see the rocket lifting off (very far away, discernable from a bright dot only in binoculars) but hearing nothing.
You can get closer but it takes a LOT of planning, a LOT of patience, and fair amount of money. Kennedy Space Center offers multiple options, from the Visitors Center itself (maybe 6 miles from most pads), to the Apollo / Saturn / Banana River site (~4 miles from LC-39A), to the LC-39A "launch gantry" (closed for LC-39A launches but ~3 miles from LC-40, but only sometimes available). The first problem is, those tickets sell out. The second problem is that launches can get delayed at the last second, and so you packed your way into the viewing site (and back out) for nothing. The third problem is that, for the "better" closer sites I mentioned above, you are relying on KSC shuttle busses to get you there and back, and the crush of crowds can mean it can add hours to your day just for that.
I once saw a Falcon Heavy launch from the Apollo / Saturn center, which was EFFING AMAZING -- that beast lifted off right in front of us, and then 7-8 minutes later the boosters came screaming back down RIGHT OVER OUR FREAKING HEADS and landed on the pads about 10 miles away (with quadruple sonic booms). Greatest show on earth! (until Starship starts that is) However, the situation around those 10 minutes was a disaster. First, the launch was supposed to be at 11:30pm, but then kept getting delayed bit by bit until it finally lifted off at 2:30am. Second, those shuttle busses then took TWO HOURS to get us out of there. We didn't get to bed in our hotel until 5:00am. Let me tell you, if you have people in your party who are only somewhat interested, the risk of extremely painful logistics will ruin the experience for them.
In contrast, you can stay at a hotel in Titusville or Cocoa Beach and just stroll out 5 minutes before launch and watch it from there. Far away, not much sound, but muuuuch less impact on your life. This might be better if you have people with you who are only casually interested.
Another option is to get on one of the charter boat that watches the lauunch from the water. I haven't done this yet but it'll be my next method, especially for a Falcon Heavy launch with RTLS boosters. Star Fleet Tours is one example of this -- I'm not sure if they are still doing them though. As with the Apollo / Saturn viewing above, be aware that with launch delays, you could be out on the water for four hours ...
Your best chance of actually seeing a launch is to go to Florida and plan to spend three days there. SpaceX launches so frequently these days (averaging twice a week) that there's a good chance you'll see one. If there's a delay, it's usually due to weather, and usually for just 24 hours. I just came back from a trip there where I did NOT plan to see a specific launch, and in three days I saw TWO. Just pick your timeframe and then cross your fingers. You should plan on TWO days to get through all of the sights at KSC, including the bus tour that costs a bit more. I typically do it as beach time in the morning, then KSC in the afternoon (1pm to 6pm).
Beyond Florida, in the USA, you have Vandenberg (southern California), Boca Chica (extreme south Texas), and Wallops (eastern Virginia). For each of those, I've linked to guides on how to view a launch from there.
Boca Chica (Starbase) is by far the hardest, both to get to and to time it right, since it's a very remote facility and doing unpredictable development testing. But it is also most insanely awesome, primarily because there's a public road going right through the center of the operation that SpaceX can't close, so space nerds can go right through the damn center of the universe there. Over the next year it is going to become the great show on earth, usurping the Falcon Heavy launches, and once SpaceX has the kinks worked out then they will start launching (and landing) in Florida as well -- that's about a year away.
You mentioned French Guiana, Baikonur, Hainan, Jiuquan and Wenchang. I can see trying to get to Kourou in French Guiana for an ESA launch, but China?! Baikonur?! Are you insane? :) I believe seeing a China launch is fundamentally unachievable, and anything involving Russia is right out. But you might consider Tanegashima in southern Japan, which is one of the more beautiful launch sites. That's something I might do someday.
Sigmagalator already mentioned the NASAspaceflight forum (not just NASA), and I've directly linked to a few NSF threads above. The NSF guys also run the NextSpaceFlight website and app, a great resource for accurate information about upcoming launches -- for example, if there's been a scheduling delay, NextSF will be the first to update, usually within minutes.
Florida is by far your best bet. Good luck!
posted by intermod at 8:38 AM on July 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
You can get closer but it takes a LOT of planning, a LOT of patience, and fair amount of money. Kennedy Space Center offers multiple options, from the Visitors Center itself (maybe 6 miles from most pads), to the Apollo / Saturn / Banana River site (~4 miles from LC-39A), to the LC-39A "launch gantry" (closed for LC-39A launches but ~3 miles from LC-40, but only sometimes available). The first problem is, those tickets sell out. The second problem is that launches can get delayed at the last second, and so you packed your way into the viewing site (and back out) for nothing. The third problem is that, for the "better" closer sites I mentioned above, you are relying on KSC shuttle busses to get you there and back, and the crush of crowds can mean it can add hours to your day just for that.
I once saw a Falcon Heavy launch from the Apollo / Saturn center, which was EFFING AMAZING -- that beast lifted off right in front of us, and then 7-8 minutes later the boosters came screaming back down RIGHT OVER OUR FREAKING HEADS and landed on the pads about 10 miles away (with quadruple sonic booms). Greatest show on earth! (until Starship starts that is) However, the situation around those 10 minutes was a disaster. First, the launch was supposed to be at 11:30pm, but then kept getting delayed bit by bit until it finally lifted off at 2:30am. Second, those shuttle busses then took TWO HOURS to get us out of there. We didn't get to bed in our hotel until 5:00am. Let me tell you, if you have people in your party who are only somewhat interested, the risk of extremely painful logistics will ruin the experience for them.
In contrast, you can stay at a hotel in Titusville or Cocoa Beach and just stroll out 5 minutes before launch and watch it from there. Far away, not much sound, but muuuuch less impact on your life. This might be better if you have people with you who are only casually interested.
Another option is to get on one of the charter boat that watches the lauunch from the water. I haven't done this yet but it'll be my next method, especially for a Falcon Heavy launch with RTLS boosters. Star Fleet Tours is one example of this -- I'm not sure if they are still doing them though. As with the Apollo / Saturn viewing above, be aware that with launch delays, you could be out on the water for four hours ...
Your best chance of actually seeing a launch is to go to Florida and plan to spend three days there. SpaceX launches so frequently these days (averaging twice a week) that there's a good chance you'll see one. If there's a delay, it's usually due to weather, and usually for just 24 hours. I just came back from a trip there where I did NOT plan to see a specific launch, and in three days I saw TWO. Just pick your timeframe and then cross your fingers. You should plan on TWO days to get through all of the sights at KSC, including the bus tour that costs a bit more. I typically do it as beach time in the morning, then KSC in the afternoon (1pm to 6pm).
Beyond Florida, in the USA, you have Vandenberg (southern California), Boca Chica (extreme south Texas), and Wallops (eastern Virginia). For each of those, I've linked to guides on how to view a launch from there.
Boca Chica (Starbase) is by far the hardest, both to get to and to time it right, since it's a very remote facility and doing unpredictable development testing. But it is also most insanely awesome, primarily because there's a public road going right through the center of the operation that SpaceX can't close, so space nerds can go right through the damn center of the universe there. Over the next year it is going to become the great show on earth, usurping the Falcon Heavy launches, and once SpaceX has the kinks worked out then they will start launching (and landing) in Florida as well -- that's about a year away.
You mentioned French Guiana, Baikonur, Hainan, Jiuquan and Wenchang. I can see trying to get to Kourou in French Guiana for an ESA launch, but China?! Baikonur?! Are you insane? :) I believe seeing a China launch is fundamentally unachievable, and anything involving Russia is right out. But you might consider Tanegashima in southern Japan, which is one of the more beautiful launch sites. That's something I might do someday.
Sigmagalator already mentioned the NASAspaceflight forum (not just NASA), and I've directly linked to a few NSF threads above. The NSF guys also run the NextSpaceFlight website and app, a great resource for accurate information about upcoming launches -- for example, if there's been a scheduling delay, NextSF will be the first to update, usually within minutes.
Florida is by far your best bet. Good luck!
posted by intermod at 8:38 AM on July 7, 2023 [6 favorites]
Best answer: I can see trying to get to Kourou in French Guiana for an ESA launch, but China?! Baikonur?! Are you insane? :) I believe seeing a China launch is fundamentally unachievable, and anything involving Russia is right out. But you might consider Tanegashima in southern Japan, which is one of the more beautiful launch sites.
To be fair it is possible to visit Baikonur as a tourist (or has been in the recent past - I suspect Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have made logistics much more difficult and dangerous lately) - it's just kind of a pain. You apparently have to book a guided tour with a licensed Russian company and it's expensive. Some info here and here's a Reddit post from r/space of someone's report on their visit 10 years ago (when it was the only place launching humans into space, before SpaceX started crewed flights out of Cape Canaveral and before Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic were operational). But Baikonur is quite remote and not exactly a hopping vacation area to visit. It's on the steppe, so it's desert-hot in the summer and brutally cold in winter, and...you can see more of the atmosphere from the Redditor's travelogue.
And yes, Tanegashima in Japan is definitely possible to visit too - here's a JR Pass blog post about it. For launches you have to view from more than 3 km away but JAXA provides some recommendations on sites. It does look very pretty - just important to note it's way out on the tip of an island off the south end of Japan, so kind of a haul to get there, and they launch far less frequently than US entities launch out of Florida.
Since I've started compiling links, just for completeness, here's ESA's page on viewing a launch from Kourou. The last Ariane 5 just launched from there a couple days ago, though, and the status of the Ariane 6 or other ESA replacement for it is unclear as that article states.
I have never seen any tourist options for Chinese launches.
posted by sigmagalator at 11:23 AM on July 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
To be fair it is possible to visit Baikonur as a tourist (or has been in the recent past - I suspect Russia's invasion of Ukraine may have made logistics much more difficult and dangerous lately) - it's just kind of a pain. You apparently have to book a guided tour with a licensed Russian company and it's expensive. Some info here and here's a Reddit post from r/space of someone's report on their visit 10 years ago (when it was the only place launching humans into space, before SpaceX started crewed flights out of Cape Canaveral and before Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic were operational). But Baikonur is quite remote and not exactly a hopping vacation area to visit. It's on the steppe, so it's desert-hot in the summer and brutally cold in winter, and...you can see more of the atmosphere from the Redditor's travelogue.
And yes, Tanegashima in Japan is definitely possible to visit too - here's a JR Pass blog post about it. For launches you have to view from more than 3 km away but JAXA provides some recommendations on sites. It does look very pretty - just important to note it's way out on the tip of an island off the south end of Japan, so kind of a haul to get there, and they launch far less frequently than US entities launch out of Florida.
Since I've started compiling links, just for completeness, here's ESA's page on viewing a launch from Kourou. The last Ariane 5 just launched from there a couple days ago, though, and the status of the Ariane 6 or other ESA replacement for it is unclear as that article states.
I have never seen any tourist options for Chinese launches.
posted by sigmagalator at 11:23 AM on July 7, 2023 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Wow! Thanks everyone!
Much to ponder.
Not insane, just uninformed and willing to make a journey if it's worthwhile. I just named some names of launch sites from videos we've watched together. I think my son's absolute ideal would be to see N1 launch again and also blow up. Or maybe sea dragon. I'd take him back in time (or to an alternate timeline with sea dragon launches) if I could!
After looking at prices to fly to French Guiana (one option I found included over a day on a boat going downriver from manaus to macapa and then a long bus ride to Cayenne. I think that sounds like an excellent time for... not now), I agree that Florida is the most likely option. Or Boca Chica if starship is flying because oh man has he ever enjoyed watching the prototypes blow up and/or crash.
Thanks again to everyone who answered. Such useful stuff to dig through!
posted by Acari at 3:25 PM on July 7, 2023
Much to ponder.
Not insane, just uninformed and willing to make a journey if it's worthwhile. I just named some names of launch sites from videos we've watched together. I think my son's absolute ideal would be to see N1 launch again and also blow up. Or maybe sea dragon. I'd take him back in time (or to an alternate timeline with sea dragon launches) if I could!
After looking at prices to fly to French Guiana (one option I found included over a day on a boat going downriver from manaus to macapa and then a long bus ride to Cayenne. I think that sounds like an excellent time for... not now), I agree that Florida is the most likely option. Or Boca Chica if starship is flying because oh man has he ever enjoyed watching the prototypes blow up and/or crash.
Thanks again to everyone who answered. Such useful stuff to dig through!
posted by Acari at 3:25 PM on July 7, 2023
Yeah, Boca Chica is your best bet for insane rocket testing. It should get super busy (BIZZAY) there in about a month, after they clear the legal hurdles from the debacle of their first launch in April. The new launch pad is very robust and the factories are cranking out rockets like crazy. Search Youtube for Tim Dodd's (Everyday Astronaut's) guide to visiting Starbase, and take his advice seriously, especially about drinks and toilets!
posted by intermod at 8:15 PM on August 25, 2023
posted by intermod at 8:15 PM on August 25, 2023
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We were forced to postpone the flight from California once because of a launch cancellation, but the second time we flew in knowing that we might be wasting a trip due to a late scrub. Ya pays yer money and takes yer chances. Fortunately there are a number of cool air & space museums in the area so it wouldn’t have been a total loss.
Frankly it would never had occurred to me to go further afield than a simple cross-country trip. The chance of a scrub is too high.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 3:32 PM on July 6, 2023 [1 favorite]