Go to florida and keel up with spacex launches.

Since any launch can be delayed for a number of factors, I would try for a SpaceX launch as the Falcon 9 platform is solid and unlikely to have mechanical issues causing delays. If possible, have some flexibility so that you can arrive as close to the actual launch date as possible (no wasted travel!) and be prepared to stay for a couple of days in the event there is a last minute delay/scrub. Stick with a public viewing site (Jetty Park, for example) for the first launch. Sunset and night launches are well worth the travel!!

I’ve seen a shuttle launch and a SpaceX launch. Closest you (and anyone) can get is the SaturnV viewing centre at KSC. It’s 3 miles from the pad. You need to buy tickets in advance for this location. Highly recommend this spot. Great view plus all the facilities nearby (food and loos). Tonnes of other public locations but nowhere near as close. No one can predict if launches will go on time, just have to cross your fingers.

So you just get a regular admission to the KSC and if it’s scrubbed you don’t get a rain check? You would need a new ticket?

No you need a launch ticket, which is good for however long it takes to launch.

Oh, thanks for explaining that. I didn’t see that in the KSC website. Let me have another look though.

My favorite launch so far after working at KSC for a few months has been an early dawn launch of an Atlas V right before the sun popped up.

SpaceX launches happen way more often though. Night and dawn/dusk launches are my personal favorite times just cause of the spectacle.

a) Don’t schedule a travel for a launch as scrubs are pretty likely. b) you don’t need to be at the KSC premises. Book a hotel room at Titusville or Cocoa beach. Make sure you have a viewing area at the hotel or go to the beach and enjoy the view. (This is how I did it twice) c) As said in a) already, don’t plan for it but if there is a chance: night or morning launches are insanely impressive 😁👍

You can sign up for launch alerts through the KSC website. I’ve seen tickets as low as $50 for a Falcon 9 launch. Highly recommend getting as close as you can. Either Saturn V Center or the LC-39 gantry depending on the pad it’s flying from.

Banana Creek/ SaturnV is the closest general public can view launches but the most difficult to get to due to demand.

Reschedules and scrubs are always probable due to weather. Generally the further away from Hurricane season June-December, the less impacts of big weather delays.

Whether at KSC or public viewing, definitely bring: bug spray/wipes, sunblock, foldable chair and water. Public viewing would be the most cost effective but KSC is well worth the admission if you are visiting first time even if it scrubs during day launch.

I think the best viewing area has been covered but if for some reason you can't go to kse the views from most parks on the river near Titusville are a good.

As far as likelihood of launch SpaceX is the most frequent and reliable. The most exciting SpaceX launches are when the boosters fly back to the landing zone. Other than that try to catch a launch in the afternoon, evening, or night. Morning launches have the sun behind them so are harder to see. Right at sunset is my favorite. The most recent Oneweb launch you could see the booster all the way up to separation and then all the way down to landing with the naked eye. Never lost sight of it.

Also there is a new Marriot on the river with a rooftop bar they call the Space Bar that has viewing parties for guests if you stay there. It's a great view

I tried to go to any launch I could when I lived in Florida. The bigger the rocket the better, in general. However right before sunrise or right after sunset you get incredible jellyfish in the sky as the rocket leaves the atmosphere. My favorite launch was probably Arabsat, when the two boosters did their boost back burn, the flow of the exhausts between them and the second stage was amazing.

As far as delays, I don’t assume it’ll launch until it launches. Have literally had abort’s at T-1 second. I’ve gone to the same launch four times in a week. It happens. Aborts not RUDs is the rule.

I live, and always have lived, on the space coast and it’s so funny how launches are so normal to us here. We don’t even go outside to watch them anymore lol. Still enjoy seeing them tho

I watched the the launch of the New Horizons spacecraft in 2006, and it is still one of my favorite memories. It took 10+ years to get the photographs it took of Pluto back, and that was a bit like re-living it all over again. (And worth the wait, what a great set of photos it was!) I would definitely recommend going and seeing one, and pick something that is interesting to you if you can. If not, any old launch will be fun to watch anyway.