Artemis II Launch
- stevenmega
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
Watching the Artemis II Launch — April 1
We spent most of the winter exploring Florida’s state parks and making our annual fishing trip to the Keys with my fishing buddies. Along the way, we found ourselves drawn to the Space Coast, catching several SpaceX launches from Cape Canaveral. But the highlight of it all was watching Artemis II lift off on April 1.
Our favorite spot for launches was Manatee Hammock Campground. This Brevard County park is dog-friendly and sits directly across the water from the launch complexes at Kennedy Space Center. It offers full hookup RV sites, tent camping, and a beautiful waterfront area. There’s a long fishing pier where manatees often swim by, a large dog park right along the water, and plenty of benches to sit back and take in the view. From the shoreline, you’re looking straight across the bay at the launch pads—it’s hard to beat.
We originally had reservations there in early March when Artemis II was first scheduled, but like most launches, it got delayed. If you’re planning a trip around a launch, build in some flexibility. Almost every SpaceX launch we watched had some sort of delay—sometimes just a few hours, sometimes a full day or more. Weather and final checks can change everything at the last minute.
One tool that really helped was the Space Launch Schedule app. It keeps track of launch dates and times, and even has a compass feature that shows you exactly where to look in the sky—especially helpful if you’re not in direct view of the pad.
When the new launch date was finally announced, we were down in South Florida. Manatee Hammock was completely booked, so we pivoted—and honestly, it worked out better than expected. We ended up staying four days at Sebastian Inlet State Park, about 40 miles south of the launch site.
The park was fantastic. It’s a smaller campground with around 60 sites, all spacious and well spread out, with water and electric hookups. There’s a dump station, two bathhouses, and even coin laundry. The park stretches along the inlet and is a popular fishing spot, with shoreline access, a small pier, and constant boat traffic heading out to fish. It also has docks and a boat launch, which made it easy to spend time near the water. Kona especially loved it—morning and evening swims near the boat ramp quickly became part of the routine.
The park spans both sides of the inlet. Across the bridge, there’s a wide beach with a protected swimming area. It’s a bit of a walk, so most people drive, but it’s worth checking out.
Even though we couldn’t see the actual liftoff from there, it turned out to be an incredible place to watch the launch. Once the rocket cleared the horizon, the view opened up—and we could follow the entire ascent. We even saw the boosters separate and begin their return maneuvers.
The rocket itself was massive, with two boosters peeling away mid-flight. The flame trail alone was the most impressive part—easily three or four times larger than any SpaceX launch we’d seen. It lit up the sky in a way that’s hard to describe unless you’ve seen it in person.
Being there for something as historic as Artemis II is something we won’t forget. It’s one of those moments where everything—the timing, the location, the experience—just comes together.
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