Space X launch, how badly will it effect traffic into Port Canaveral?

[Ralphinsc]

We have a cruise due out on April the 2nd from Port Canaveral and are due to arrive in town on March 31st. That also happens to be a day that a crewed SpaceX launch is scheduled to the ISS. I have read some things in the past of the causeways being blocked off and traffic being a nightmare during launches. Do we need to just forgo all other travel plans that day (late lunch in St. Augustine, etc) and just get down to the area as soon as we can? We fortunately already have a room booked for the night at what should be a good viewing location. Just don't want to be stuck in traffic when we could be watching the launch. 

[lx200gps]

43 minutes ago, Ralphinsc said:

We have a cruise due out on April the 2nd from Port Canaveral and are due to arrive in town on March 31st. That also happens to be a day that a crewed SpaceX launch is scheduled to the ISS. I have read some things in the past of the causeways being blocked off and traffic being a nightmare during launches. Do we need to just forgo all other travel plans that day (late lunch in St. Augustine, etc) and just get down to the area as soon as we can? We fortunately already have a room booked for the night at what should be a good viewing location. Just don't want to be stuck in traffic when we could be watching the launch. 

Can't answer your specific question, but it sure looks like the Captain of the Harmony of the Seas is in for a good spanking for sailing right into the launch exclusion zone for a recent launch...

 

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/money/business/2022/01/31/coast-guard-begins-investigation-royal-caribbean-ship-caused-spacex-scrub/9287700002/

[Ralphinsc]

57 minutes ago, lx200gps said:

Can't answer your specific question, but it sure looks like the Captain of the Harmony of the Seas is in for a good spanking for sailing right into the launch exclusion zone for a recent launch...

 

https://www.floridatoday.com/story/money/business/2022/01/31/coast-guard-begins-investigation-royal-caribbean-ship-caused-spacex-scrub/9287700002/

Yeah, saw that. Shouldn't affect our April cruise but I hope Royal can afford to get the ship out of the impound lot before our June B2B 😆

[mushroom]

How do you find out the launch schedule?

[lx200gps]

2 hours ago, mushroom said:

How do you find out the launch schedule?

https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events/events-calendar?pageindex=1&categories=Rocket Launches

 

Keep in mind that rocket launch dates aren't absolutely cast in stone, things do occasionally go south and launches are delayed from time to time.

[Corby114]

If a ship is scheduled to leave or arrive during a launch period and needs to travel through an exculsion zone they have to adjust their embarkation or disembarkation. The exculsion zone is normally in effect for two hours before a scheduled launch and one hour after it. Most SpaceX launches travel in an easterly or south easterly direction. Port Canaveral itself is never in the zone. The zone begins at the mouth of the channel and continues off the coast.

[Cienfuegos]

In my experience of viewing a few launches, expect high levels of traffic congestion in the hours around scheduled launches.  It breaks up after a while

 

The pedestrian viewing areas along A1A, the beaches, etc have been known to fill up 12 hours ahead of schedule. There are wonderful locations a few miles away that don't have the drama and congestion.

 

The caution about launch times changing should not be taken lightly.  The recent Harmony of the Seas fiasco disrupted the third attempt in three days to launch this Starlink mission.  Other launches may be rescheduled for days or even months later.

[Diver2014]

We arrived back from our cruise in Pt Canaveral on the morning of a launch.  Other than police blocking roadways going north and parked along the causeway going into Pt Canaveral, you wouldn't have known there was a launch pending.  By the time we got onto I-95 heading north, it took maybe 15 minutes from the parking garage.  The launch occurred within the hour.  Just a slight slow down on I-95 by looky looers.

[Capt_BJ]

launches are very frequent now .... unless there is something 'special' about the launch you'll have NO impact.

 

or in other words

 

unless the launch involves potential loss of life

 

no significant impact in the area traffic wize ..... <I'm a local>

Edited February 7, 2022 by Capt_BJ

[FunCruiser56]

space launch now is a good app. lists the date, time, type of launch. Also video available through the app.

[Ralphinsc]

On 2/7/2022 at 5:25 PM, Capt_BJ said:

launches are very frequent now .... unless there is something 'special' about the launch you'll have NO impact.

 

or in other words

 

unless the launch involves potential loss of life

 

no significant impact in the area traffic wize ..... <I'm a local>

 

Not sure how this one is going to rank if it goes through. It will be the first ever fully private manned mission to the ISS (no NASA crew, just AXIOM and SpaceX) Our plan right now is to skip our planned afternoon in St. Augustine and just push on through to Canaveral as quickly as we can get down. Our hotel is right near the pier. Keeping eyes on things and being flexible. And if it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen.