Back to back rocket launches from Florida, watch from Volusia County

(This story has been updated with new information. The ULA Atlas V rocket launch and SpaceX rocket launch were postponed to Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025.)

Who's up for potential doubleheader rocket launches? Two rockets from Cape Canaveral, Florida, are scheduled to lift off — on the same day.

United Launch Alliance’s Atlas V rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral at 3:28 a.m. ET Tuesday with a window till 3:57 a.m. A previous attempt was overnight Sunday, Dec. 14, with a window opening at 3:49 a.m. ET Monday, Dec. 15. A visibility map from ULA shows the trajectory and flight path (see below). Then, a SpaceX Falcon 9 is scheduled to launch 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.

Though rockets here launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, people from Volusia 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 Fun Coast.

For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at [email protected] or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at [email protected]. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.

A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket may be visible beyond Cape Canaveral, Florida, overnight Monday, Dec. 15, 2025. This launch visibility map shows when and where your best chances are to see the rocket as it lifts off at 3:49 a.m. EST and heads northeasterly into space.

When is the next SpaceX rocket launch in Florida? Tuesday, December 16: ULA Amazon Leo 4

Mission: A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will lift the next batch of Amazon Leo (formerly Project Kuiper) broadband satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Launch window: 3:28 a.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. The 29-minute launch window will last 3:57 a.m. A previous attempt was between 3:49 a.m. and 4:18 a.m. ET Monday, Dec. 15, 2025.
Launch trajectory: Northeast
Launch location: Launch Complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida
Sonic booms: No
Live coverage starts two hours before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space: You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network’s Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals 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 two hours 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 into your browser.

Tuesday, December 16: SpaceX Starlink 6-99

Mission: A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch 29 Starlink internet satellites into low-Earth orbit.
Launch window: 7:45 a.m. ET Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 (a previous launch window was 8:11 a.m. to 12:11 p.m. ET Monday, Dec. 15, 2025)
Launch trajectory: Southeast
Launch location: Launch pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida
Sonic booms: No
Live coverage: Starts 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.

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

• Mary McLeod Bethune Beach Park, 6656 S. Atlantic Ave., New Smyrna Beach. Bethune Beach is 3.5 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 runs 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.

• Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill

• Goodrich's Seafood and Oyster House back deck, 253 River Road, Oak Hill

• Seminole Rest national historic site, 211 River Road, Oak Hill

• Riverbreeze Park, 250 H.H. Burch Road, Oak Hill

• Mary Dewees Park, 178 N. Gaines St., Oak Hill

• Nancy Cummings Park, 232 Cummings St., Oak Hill

• Jimmie Vann Sunrise Park, 275 River Road, Oak Hill

• A.C. Delbert Dewees Municipal Pier, 243 River Road, Oak Hill

• Bird Observation Pier on River Road across from A.C. Delbert Municipal Pier (see above)

• Rose Bay in Port Orange, Florida

• beaches along New Smyrna Beach, Florida

• New Smyrna Beach Inlet, New Smyrna Beach lifeguard station