South Florida skywatchers may be able to see NASA's Artemis II blast off to the moon
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NASA astronauts commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, mission specialist Christina Koch and Canadian Space Agency and mission specialist astronaut Jeremy Hansen. Photo: Bill Ingalls/NASA/Getty Image
It's almost time for NASA's moon flight to lift off — and here in South Florida, you may be able to see it from your backyard.
Why it matters: Artemis II, set to carry four astronauts around the moon on a 10-day mission, marks the first time humans will travel around the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
- The launch from Florida's Kennedy Space Center is set for no sooner than Wednesday at 6:24pm.
How to watch: If there are clear skies, look up! NASA published the following map that shows folks in Miami and Fort Lauderdale will need to wait between 50 and 60 seconds after launch to see the rocket ship.
- Meteorologist Phil Ferro of WSVN Fox 7 and ABC Miami posted on X that if it's not cloudy, mainland South Florida may see the ship about 4 minutes after blast-off.
Zoom in: NASA will provide live video coverage of prelaunch, launch, splashdown, and other activities for the Artemis II flight test.
- NASA broadcast coverage of tanking operations begins on launch day at 7:45am on YouTube. Full launch coverage begins at 12:50pm on NASA+, Amazon Prime, and YouTube.
- Follow a virtual tracker to see the Orion spacecraft's location.
Reality check: As is the case with most travel, weather is a factor. If Artemis II cannot launch on Wednesday, the next window is April 2–6.
- After April 6, the next launch window is April 30.