LC-39A

A Guide For Space Coast Visitors

Watching a rocket tear skyward from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is a visceral thrill—one that most people will remember for the rest of their lives. If you are a photographer, the memories are amplified when you freeze the moment in sharp, vibrant photographs. Even though a still photograph won’t come with the incredible sounds of the engines of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy as it breaks free of the bonds of gravity, a good photo will last a lifetime and keep the memories of your time here in Florida.

Kennedy Space Center offers several iconic viewing spots, each with its own character and challenges. Let’s take a look:

Location, Location, Location

A lot of the professional rocket photos you see in news articles or sites like this are taken from “privileged” positions — the Press Site, for example, or by cameras placed near the launch pad in advance that are triggered by devices like a MIOPS+, which activated the camera’s shutter when it “hears” the roar of the sounds from liftoff. Unless you are working press, you won’t be able to access those spots.

There are only a few places that are accessible to the general public that offer similar proximity, but indeed, there are three:

Apollo-Saturn Center / Banana Creek Viewing Site

One of the most convenient locations is the Apollo/Saturn V Center, which lies just over a mile south of LC-39A. From the raised terraces and the old observation gantry, you enjoy clean sightlines to the pad without a cluttered foreground. You will usually need to purchase a ticket to the ASC in addition to parking and entrance to the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center, and that can add up.

KSCVC Admission Prices (General Admission)
  • Adults (12+): Typically around $75 online
  • Children (3–11): Generally about $65

Note: Prices can vary slightly depending on date and promotions

KSCVC Parking Fees

According to official Kennedy Space Center parking info:

  • Automobiles (cars, SUVs, light trucks, minivans): $15 per day
  • Motorcycles: $5 per day
  • Oversized vehicles (RVs, motorhomes): $20 per day

Those are 2025 prices, and may change at any time, but this will give you an idea of how much it costs to gain entry. That’s just half of it: you usually need to purchase a Launch Viewing Ticket, and they can range from free (often with a Starlink launch), or as high as $250, which was the cost for Artemis I, Crew 7 and other high-profile flights.

Read the fine print of the ticket carefully too. A launch viewing ducat is good for that launch attempt, and if the mission scrubs, your ticket may be considered “used.” During Artemis I’s lengthy launch campaign with a number of scrubs, a lot of people found this out the hard way. Know before you go and decide if that’s for you, or not.

Check out: Kennedy Space Center Visitors Center: See A Launch

You will be about 3.5 miles from LC-39A and you will be as close as anyone. It’s a great experience and one I highly recommend, but it can be pricey for a family to undertake. I advise folks to get a 2-Day ticket and to fully explore KSCVC, it has a lot of displays that are well worth your time.

What You Get:

A point-blank view.

Here’s a photo taken from the Banana Creek Viewing Site:

The EXIF information for the photograph above is shown to the left. I actually use different settings now, but this will get you started. Read on for a fuller explanation of camera settings.

Playalinda Beach, Cape Canaveral National Seashore

Playalinda is located adjacent to the launch pads at Kennedy Space Center, and it is an extremely popular place to go watch a launch. You’ll need to go there hours in advance to ensure you can gain entry — the National Park Service will stop people from entering if the parking lots are full or if it is 45 minutes or less until scheduled liftoff. Get there at least two hours early, and frankly, 3-4 hours is even better.

What You Get:

The closest you’re going to get outside of Banana Creek Viewing Site. The foreground of the beach and the crowd make for an excellent photograph, especially if you employ telephoto compression to your advantage. Consider the photo below. It looks like the crowd is almost next to the launch pad but in reality they are some 3.5 miles away. A Falcon 9 is some 22 stories tall, so it’s bigger than you might think.

Settings are similar to Banana Creek: shoot for an EV13 shot and bracket, or meter using -1 or -2 stops. Use a fast shutter speed, as mentioned below.

Biolab Road

Biolab Road is a dirt road that runs along the very aptly named Mosquito Lagoon in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. For day launches, this can be a great place for your photographs, especially when Playalinda is full. You won’t be all that much further away from the launch pad than you will be at Playalinda, and the water in the lagoon can make a great foreground for your photos.

What You Get:

Here is the view of LC-39A from Biolab Road, taken with a wide angle lens. You can go further down the road for closer views.

One thing to note is that Biolab Road is open from dawn to dusk, and KSC Police and/or the National Park Service will request that you leave if you’re present after hours. Those agencies can and will give you a pretty expensive ticket if you fail to comply, so the best idea is don’t do it. It’s also a bad idea for a visitor to the area to be on Biolab at night, because there are all kinds of critters there that will take a bite out of you: mosquitoes, no-see-ums, alligators and so forth, with the latter being a clear and present danger there.

Daylight hours are generally safe, but when the sun gets low and the temperatures are warm, gators will be hunting for their next meal. Don’t be that meal, so be wildlife aware.

There is also an entry fee for Biolab Road, but it there is no gate. As soon as you turn onto it, you may notice a payment box. If you have a National Parks Pass, you’re good to go. If not, pay the fee. I think it’s $15.

Bring insect repellent, drinks and everything you need. This is part of the “wildlife” areas in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge, so don’t expect a cantina with cool beers while you wait for liftoff.

Cameras and Settings

Photographing a launch is part science, part art. By picking the right vantage points—from the Apollo/Saturn V Center’s terraces to Playalinda Beach or Biolab Road — you set the stage for your composition. Then, by mastering exposure through underexposure and thoughtful bracketing, you ensure every photograph captures not only the power of the engines but the intricate beauty of the flame plume itself. Plan diligently, practice your workflow, and you’ll be ready to chase that plume into the heavens.

Your camera choice should be a DSLR or mirrorless body with a fast autofocus system. A telephoto zoom in the 70–200 mm or 100–400 mm range lets you isolate the rocket, while a wider 24–70 mm lens captures more of the landscape and sky. If you have a super-telephoto (500+ mm) consider using that. Wind and crowds make a firm tripod—or at least a monopod—essential for slower shutter speeds and a remote shutter release will guard against any camera shake. Make sure your memory cards can handle burst shooting, and bring an extra battery, since Florida’s heat and breeze can sap power faster than you expect.

Underexpose

Perhaps the single most critical exposure tactic is to underexpose by one or two stops. A rocket’s flame plume can exceed 2,000 °C, and that means it’s going to be BRIGHT. If you meter for midtones—like the launch pad structure or the sky—the highlights in the flame will blow out into featureless white. By dialing in –1 EV or even –2 EV of exposure compensation, you preserve texture in the brightest areas, revealing the billows and shock diamonds that make these plumes so visually striking. Always glance at your histogram: you want the right shoulder to approach, but not touch, the edge. For underexposed areas, you can fix that in post-processing, save for night launches. They are an entirely different animal.

And Bracket

Because plume brightness and lighting conditions vary by rocket type—whether it’s a Falcon 9, an Atlas V, New Glenn or the massive Space Launch System—you’ll also want to bracket your shots. Many cameras offer Auto Exposure Bracketing, which can capture three frames at different exposure offsets (for example, –2 EV, 0 EV, +2 EV). Later, in Lightroom or your preferred editor, you can quickly choose the frame that best balances the rocket, the plume, and the background.

This launch will only happen once, and if you’ve traveled far to get here, it may be your only chance. So, increase your odds of success by bracketing. Consult your camera’s manual if you aren’t sure how to do that. (You can also ask ChatGPT, it will give you a step-by-step list.)

Hurry Up And Wait

In the field, arrive early to claim your spot and let your gear settle. Switch your camera to manual mode: set a mid-range aperture around f/8 or f/11, a shutter speed no slower than 1/500 s to freeze motion, and an ISO in the 100–400 range. Pre-focus on the pad, then flip to manual focus to lock it in. I use gaffer’s tape (NOT duct tape) to “lock” my focus ring down in case I accidentally bump it.

Compose with the pad offset—following the rule of thirds—leaving space above for the rocket’s ascent. Include nearby structures, railings, or even beachgoers at dawn to give scale and context. At ignition, let the rocket rise slightly, then snap as fast as your camera’s image buffer will allow. You will have 3-5 seconds before the rocket clears the pad, and another 3 seconds or so while the pad itself is visible in the photo. Those latter shots are great because of the billowing steam from the sound suppression systems, and they can really add to a shot.

Why Do I Use A Higher Shutter Speed, Even If I Have To Increase ISO?

I’ve mentioned a couple of times that I now prefer a higher shutter speed when I photograph a launch. Here’s why: most of my “bad” shots I took years ago were due to camera shake or movement during the launch. I used tripods to compensate for a while, but then I had an epiphany: just use a shutter speed of at least twice my focal length and that problem will disappear. It’s not important that I may need to raise my ISO from 100 to, say, 800, because noise reduction will automagically cure that problem.

Why Do I Prefocus And Tape?

You’re going to shoot at Infinity or very close to it, no matter what lens you are using. That end of the focusing scale can be very sensitive, even with a higher aperture, and it is very easy to bump the focus ring while you are shooting and thus have less than optimal photos.

To prevent that, I’ll focus on the rocket, take an inch or two of gaffer’s tape — the non-residue kind — and lock down the focus. Easy enough.

I don’t use autofocus because the dynamic range can “confuse” an autofocus system, especially when the rocket is high in the sky and thus is smaller in the viewfinder. That’s not when I want the camera to be hunting for focus, so I’ll use manual focus instead.

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Watching a rocket tear skyward from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center is a visceral thrill—one that most people will remember for the rest of their lives. If you are a photographer, the memories are amplified when you freeze the moment in sharp, vibrant photographs. Even though a still photograph won’t come with the incredible sounds of the engines of a Falcon 9 or Falcon Heavy as it breaks free of the bonds of gravity, a good photo will last a lifetime and keep the memories of your time here in Florida.

Read more

Axiom 4 lifts off from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center
Axiom 4 lifts off from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center

After several delays, Axiom 4 is on its way to the International Space Station. The corporate mission, commanded by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, lifted off at 2:31 AM Eastern Time from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.

In addition to Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, an officer in the Indian Air Force and astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists include Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a project astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA) representing Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Notably, this mission marks the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary will visit the ISS, representing each nation’s first government-sponsored human spaceflight in over 40 years.

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Axiom 4 lifts off from Pad LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center on June 25, 2025. Photo: Charles Boyer
Axiom 4 lifts off at 2:31 AM ET on Wednesday, January 25, 2025
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

After several delays, Axiom 4 is on its way to the International Space Station. The corporate mission, commanded by NASA veteran Peggy Whitson, lifted off at 2:31 AM Eastern Time from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon.

In addition to Whitson, Shubhanshu Shukla, an officer in the Indian Air Force and astronaut with the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists include Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, a project astronaut with the European Space Agency (ESA) representing Poland, and Tibor Kapu from Hungary. Notably, this mission marks the first time astronauts from India, Poland, and Hungary will visit the ISS, representing each nation’s first government-sponsored human spaceflight in over 40 years.

After a nominal ascent, Booster B1094 returned to land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s LZ-1 about secen minutes and thirty nine seconds from liftoff. A few seconds later, Falcon 9’s second stage and Crew Dragon were reaching their initial orbit, which will be modified later as Axiom 4 begins chasing down ISS in earnest.

Docking is expected Thursday morning, around 7:00 AM ET.

After docking with Station, Axiom 4’s crew will begin a two-week stay aboard ISS, where they will conduct a number of experiments on behalf of their respective space agencies.

Axiom-4 Mission Objectives

Ax-4 will be a busy mission, as it is slated to conduct approximately 60 scientific experiments and activities involving participants from 31 nations, such as the United States, India, Poland, Hungary, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Nigeria, the United Arab Emirates, and various European countries. This marks the highest number of research initiatives undertaken on an Axiom Space mission to the International Space Station (ISS) thus far, highlighting the mission’s global importance and collaborative spirit in advancing microgravity research in low-Earth orbit (LEO). ​

The mission places a particular emphasis on scientific endeavors led by the countries represented in the Ax-4 crew, including the United States, India, Poland (in collaboration with the European Space Agency), and Hungary. The research conducted will enhance global understanding in areas such as human health, Earth observation, and life, biological, and material sciences, reflecting the space research capabilities of the crew’s home countries. ​

Axiom Space is also collaborating with research organizations and academic institutions to further investigate the effects of spaceflight on the human body and to explore how space-based research can lead to improvements in health and medical treatments on Earth. The mission underscores the significance of commercial and academic partnerships, as Axiom Space spearheads the development of a global research community and a sustainable economic ecosystem in LEO. The mission also sets the stage for Axiom Station, the first commercial space station, which will provide a permanent platform for research, manufacturing, and human spaceflight.

Launch Replay

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Crew 10 launch
File photo of a Falcon 9 / Crew Dragon launching from LC-39A at Kennedy Space Center
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

The delayed launch of Axiom 4 to the International Space Station will have to wait a little bit longer. The company announced today that the “space agency needs additional time to continue evaluating International Space Station operations after recent repair work in the aft (back) most segment of the orbital laboratory’s Zvezda service module.”

The delay is labeled as “indefinite” and no new launch target date has been announced.

The crew remains in quarantine, and the Falcon 9 and Crew Dragon planned for the flight remain in healthy condition and ready for the flight.”

The root cause of the delay is a series of micro-leaks in the Zvezda module, first detected months ago but considered under control after previous repair efforts. However, on June 14, cosmonauts aboard the ISS noted a fresh pressure signature in the aft segment of Zvezda, indicating that some seals may have degraded or reopened under flight conditions. Although the module has held pressure more consistently since the latest inspections, NASA and its Russian partners determined that more data were needed to rule out any risk to incoming crew.

On a blog update published last week, NASA detailed the troubleshooting steps taken by cosmonauts: interior surfaces were inspected, suspect seals were re-torqued, and additional leak-rate measurements were conducted. “Following the most recent repair, pressure in the transfer tunnel has been stable,” NASA wrote, “but additional time is required for Roscosmos and NASA to evaluate whether further action is necessary.” This review window now overlaps with the Monday launch opportunity, effectively ruling it out until the investigation concludes.

There are also ISS logistics to consider: Ax-4’s launch window is tightly constrained by orbital mechanics and ISS traffic. The current opportunity closes on June 30 to accommodate other scheduled resupply and crewed flights. Pushing through before fully resolving the leak could risk mission safety and station integrity, particularly given the interconnected life-support systems aboard the ISS. Axiom Space President Michael Suffredini emphasized that while commercial missions must adhere to tight timelines, safety remains the non-negotiable priority.

Stay tuned.

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Ax-3 On The Launch Pad Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Axiom 4, the privately operated crewed spaceflight, now has a confirmed launch date of June 22, 2025. The mission is slated to lift off at 3:42 AM ET, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.

Originally scheduled for June 19, the flight window was pushed back as engineers addressed technical issues and concerns about the ISS leaks. The new timeline promises a mission duration ranging from 14 to 21 days to complete its planned research program.

“No one remembers launch delays, but no one ever forgets a real problem.”

–V.L. Pinson Sr., former ABMA and NASA veteran

The mission will utilize a Falcon 9 to carry the newly built Crew Dragon spacecraft C213 into low Earth orbit, marking the final Crew Dragon capsule to enter service in SpaceX’s original slate of capsules. The four-person crew—veteran astronaut Peggy Whitson commanding, Indian pilot Shubhanshu Shukla, ESA’s Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski, and Hungarian specialist Tibor Kapu—will conduct science and technology demonstrations aboard ISS during their flight.

Axiom Space first announced on April 3 that Ax-4 would launch no earlier than May, reflecting a cautious approach as technical reviews and ISS scheduling took shape.

By mid-April, the Ax-4 team was gearing up for a busy agenda aboard ISS with a target window of no earlier than late May. The packed schedule—includes biological experiments, materials science tests, and station maintenance tasks.

After some shifts to the right on the schedule, the mission stood ready to launch on June 10th, but weather in the ascent corridor forced mission managers to call of any launch attempt that day. The ascent corridor is the zone where Crew Dragon and its crew would land in the unlikely event of an abort. The zone extends offshore in the Atlantic Ocean from Kennedy Space all the way to Ireland, and weather inside it must be suitable — just in case.

The next day, the first launch attempt on June 11 was scrubbed after engineers detected a propellant leak in the rocket’s liquid oxygen system and called off the launch to remediate the issue.

Next, a pressure leak in the Zvezda service module on the ISS prompted NASA and Roscosmos to stabilize the module before approving further dockings, contributing to another postponement announced on June 12.

NASA, SpaceX and Axiom have now agreed on a launch attempt in the predawn hours of the first full day of summer: June 22nd. Falcon 9’s leaks have been resolved, the Space Station leak issue is now under control, and at this point, weather on the 22nd looks as though it will be acceptable for Axiom 4’s ascent into orbit.

The Indian Connection

For India’s space program, Ax-4 represents a milestone: it provides the first opportunity for an Indian astronaut to fly to ISS. Pilot and Indian Air Force Group Captain Shubhanshu “Shux” Shukla, part of ISRO’s cadre of astronauts, will carry out experiments developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation in fields ranging from microbial adaptation to muscle atrophy studies.

His flight will be the precursor to his upcoming flight aboard ISRO’s Gaganyaan-1, India’s first domestically built crewed orbital spacecraft. At 39, Shukla is a veteran test pilot, having flown everything from MiG-21s to Su-30s.

Gaganyaan capsule
Photo: ISRO

One Of America’s Most Astronauts Commands

Tibor Kapu, courtesy Axiom Space

Axiom 4 will be commanded by Peggy Whitson—a former NASA chief astronaut and current Director of Human Spaceflight at Axiom Space—Ax-4 brings seasoned leadership to this venture. Whitson holds multiple Station records and is tasked with overseeing the flights to and from ISS. She has spent 665 days in space so far.

Poland and Hungary Returning To Spaceflight After 40 Years

Joining Whitson and Shukla is Sławosz Uznański, a Polish engineer and the first representative of his country in space since 1978. Back then, it was Mirosław Hermaszewski aboard a Soviet Soyuz. This time, it’s Uznański flying under the banner of the European Space Agency as a mission specialist. A former CERN engineer and ESA reserve astronaut, Uznański’s path to space was defined more by science than by spectacle. His role on Ax-4 emphasizes research, including a number of biomedical and Earth-monitoring experiments designed by Polish institutions.

Sławosz Uznański, courtesy Axiom Space

Hungary, too, is returning to space after a four-decade absence. Tibor Kapu, an engineer selected under the Hungarian government’s HUNOR program, became only the second Hungarian to ever fly in space. He beat out nearly 250 applicants for the role. The first, Bertalan Farkas, flew aboard a Soviet Soyuz spacecraft in 1980.

Kapu’s mission is both technical and symbolic. “This is not just a mission for Hungary,” he said before launch. “It’s for all the small nations looking toward the stars and asking if they can be part of the next chapter.”

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Ax 4 Crew Photo: Axiom Space
Ax 4 Crew Photo: Axiom Space
Ax 4 Crew Photo: Axiom Space

The Axiom 4 mission is apparently back on track after two unrelated leaks—one in orbit and one on the ground—were resolved, clearing the way for the launch of Axiom Space’s next private mission to the International Space Station.

SpaceX plans to launch a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a new Crew Dragon capsule with four private astronauts aboard for the Ax-4 mission. No official launch date or time has been set yet, but there has been some speculation about a Thursday pre-dawn liftoff at 4:53 AM ET. Given the lack of any official notifications of the launch attempt, it seems highly unlikely one will happen on that date.

The mission faced multiple delays last week. Poor weather conditions offshore in the ascent corridor scrubbed a planned Monday launch, and a liquid oxygen leak discovered in the rocket’s first-stage booster pushed back Tuesday’s attempt. SpaceX conducted a successful retest of the booster last Thursday, confirming the leak had been fixed.

International-Space-Station-in-2021
The International-Space-Station-in-2021 Photo: NASA

Just as that issue was resolved, NASA put another hold on the launch due to a long-standing problem on the International Space Station: a years-old leak on the Russian segment. Engineers needed time to confirm recent repairs had sealed it for good. On Saturday, NASA reported that pressure in the affected area had stabilized—a sign that the small leaks may finally be closed.

While Russia’s space agency Roscosmos continues to monitor the situation, NASA has cleared SpaceX and Axiom Space to proceed towards a launch of Axiom 4, but again, no official announcement of a day or time has been made by NASA, SpaceX or Axiom Space.

Stay tuned.

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RESILIENCE lander
HAKUTO-R rendering.
via iSpace

A lunar lander that launched from KSC in January will attempt to land on the surface of the moon this afternoon.

On January 15, 2025, at 1:11 a.m. EST, Japanese space company ispace launched its RESILIENCE lunar lander aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission, known as Hakuto-R Mission 2, marks ispace’s second attempt to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, following the unsuccessful Hakuto-R Mission 1 in April 2023. RESILIENCE is scheduled to attempt its lunar landing later today, at 3:17 p.m. EDT, targeting the Mare Frigoris region near the Moon’s north pole.

Launch of Hakuto-R RESILIENCE on January 15, 2025 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Mission Objectives

First of all, a successful soft landing with the spacecraft in its intended orientation on the lunar surface. Many commercial companies have attempted this, with only one – Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost – being fully successful this far.

iSpace’s own Hakuto-R Mission 1 is among the failed landers, as the lander plummeted uncontrollably when its propellant was exhausted. This near-fatal anomaly was due to the spacecraft’s onboard computer wrongly assuming its radar altimeter was faulty. The spacecraft’s computer ignored this data, and as a result misjudged the actual altitude of the spacecraft and kept hovering 5 km above the surface of the Moon.

iSpace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada recently spoke about the RESILIENCE mission, saying yesterday, “I am very proud to announce that once again, on June 6, 2025, JST, ispace will attempt a historic landing on the Moon as part of Mission 2, ‘SMBC x HAKUTO-R VENTURE MOON.’”

“Just over two years ago, on April 26, 2023, ispace, operating HAKUTO-R Mission 1, became the first private company in the world to attempt a lunar landing. While the mission achieved significant results, we lost communication with the lander just before touchdown,” Hakamada said.

“Since that time, we have drawn on the experience, using it as motivation to move forward with resolve. We are now at the dawn of our next attempt to make history,” he concluded.

Today, the company will find out if its remediations and improvements from the first HAKUTO-R mission have been fruitful.

Live Stream

Today’s landing attempt will be streamed live on ispace’s YouTube channel. Tune in about an hour before the scheduled touchdown when coverage is set to begin.

Post-Landing

Once RESILIENCE lands, it will deploy and/or utilize several payloads aimed at advancing lunar exploration:

  • TENACIOUS Micro Rover: Developed by ispace’s European subsidiary, this 5-kilogram rover is equipped with a high-definition camera and a shovel to collect lunar soil samples. The rover will conduct in-situ resource utilization demonstrations, including regolith extraction, and relay data back to the lander.
  • Moonhouse Art Installation: A miniature Swedish-style red house created by artist Mikael Genberg, symbolizing human aspiration and creativity, will be deployed on the lunar surface.
  • UNESCO Memory Disk: RESILIENCE carries a disk containing 275 human languages and cultural artifacts, aiming to preserve human heritage in the event of a global catastrophe.

Additionally, ispace plans to transfer ownership of collected lunar regolith to NASA, marking the first commercial transaction of lunar resources to date.

This photo of the moon was taken by the RESILIENCE spacecraft.
Photo: iSpace

About iSpace

Founded in 2010 by Takeshi Hakamada, ispace is a Tokyo-based private space exploration company with a stated vision of expanding human presence into space. The company aims to develop a sustainable lunar economy by providing low-cost, high-frequency transportation services to the Moon. With offices in Japan, Luxembourg, and the United States, ispace employs over 300 people worldwide.

ispace’s long-term goal includes establishing a lunar colony of 1,000 inhabitants by the 2040s, utilizing the Moon’s water resources for fuel production and supporting a space-based economy.

iSpace graphic of the overall mission plan for Mission 2
iSpace graphic of the overall mission plan for Mission 2
courtesy iSpace

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SpaceX Starship lifting off on the IFT-2 test from Boca Chica Texas. Photo: Richard P. Gallagher, Florida Media Now
Starship Flight 8 liftoff March 6 2025
Starship Flight 8 liftoff March 6 2025. Photo: Richard Gallagher / FMN

What They Learn In Texas Will Inform Starship Sound Modeling For the Space Coast

As SpaceX’s Starship prepares for an ambitious launch schedule here at on the Space Coast at Kennedy Space Center, residents’ concerns about its acoustic impact on surrounding communities and environments have come to the forefront.

Dr. Kent Gee
Photo: BYU

Dr. Kent Gee, a physics professor and Department Chair of the Physics and Astronomy department at Brigham Young University (BYU) leads a team dedicated to understanding the noise generated by this powerful rocket. He and his team of researchers have conducted sound studies for Starship in Texas and the SLS at Kennedy Space Center, yielding some interesting results.

SpaceX has stated that they plan to launch Starship from KSC this year, and indeed, construction of the launch mount for the world’s most powerful rocket continues apace at LC-39A. While a Starship launch from the Space Coast in 2025 may be an ambitious plan, it is safe to say that within the next year the area will see, hear and feel this rocket as it climbs off the launch pad and makes its way to orbit from Florida.

Artemis Testing

“I took the students to church and we were talking to people at Merritt Island,” Dr. Gee related to Talk of Titusville. “They said, oh, you’re from BYU, what are you doing here?”

“Everyone, every single person we talked to said they wanted to tell us that some Falcon 9 launches like rattled their windows and other ones you didn’t hear at all.”

Such stories are common on the Space Coast. Some days, one may barely hear a Falcon 9 in some areas of the region, while others in other places watching the same launch from a different place might report their windows rattling or their dog barking because of the thunder-like sound of the ascending rocket.

Measuring the acoustic impact of rockets like Starship is complex due to factors like atmospheric conditions and the rocket’s trajectory. Dr. Gee’s team utilizes various sound metrics, including A-weighted and Z-weighted Decibels, to capture a comprehensive picture of the noise levels. Their findings suggest that current environmental assessments may underestimate the true acoustic impact of such launches.

Dr. Gee told us “there’s a paper that we published on the Artemis I launch. We went due west [from the launch site.] I had people sitting there [about 30 km] due west.”

Read Dr. Gee’s research here.Download

“I was on the other side of the Indian River south of Titusville, about 30 kilometers, basically southwest of [the launch pad.] We were about the same distance [as the team that was due west.] I got about 100 decibels where I was.”

The team located due west? Dr. Gee explained, “They didn’t even hear the noise at 30 kilometers.”

That may seem odd, but again, sound propagation is affected by a number of factors: local weather, winds, ambient humidity and of course the direction the rocket is flying.

Dr. Gee explained that the sound he experienced from Artemis was like many other launches with “Low frequencies. It was not quiet, but because it was such low frequencies, it wasn’t like overwhelmingly loud, but it was it was about what I expected, having been to prior launches and guessing.”

Artemis I sound measurements
(a) Google Earth image annotated to show the measurement stations analyzed in this letter and their distances from LC-39B, as well as other locations of interest: SLS (not to scale) at LC-39B, the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB), Saturn-V viewing area, and the Crawlerway between the VAB and LC-39B. Shown also are the maximum 1-s OASPLs at each station after liftoff. (b) A four-microphone array at Station 7, in the middle of the Crawlerway. (c) A closeup of a weather-robust microphone ground plate setup at Station 3, with SLS in the background. From: “Space Launch System acoustics: Far-field noise measurements of the Artemis-I launch” Gee, Kent & Hart, Grant & Cunningham, Carson & Anderson, Mark & Bassett, Michael & Mathews, Logan & Durrant, J. & Moats, Levi & Coyle, Whitney & Kellison, Makayle & Kuffskie, Margaret. (2023). Space Launch System acoustics: Far-field noise measurements of the Artemis-I launch. JASA Express Letters. 3. 023601. 10.1121/10.0016878.

Dr. Gee added that “At [some places] 50 km [from the launch site,] it was like 80 Decibels and so it was like it hit like right across the Indian River. Maybe because the land mass was warmer and so you got upward refraction [of the noise] and then it bent back down.

Basic diagram of a rocket’s noise emissions.
Via: FAA

“There’s some complicated stuff going on,” he added.

That would explain the wildly varying accounts of how loud Artemis I was in different parts of the Space Coast region. Some said it was almost quiet, others reported a teeth-chattering experience. It all depended on where the observer was located and whether the local conditions were favorable to sound traveling from the ascending SLS rocket to where they were.

How Loud Will Starship Seem?

Dr. Gee’s research in Texas reveals that a single Starship launch produces noise levels equivalent to 4–6 Space Launch System (SLS) launches or at least 10 Falcon 9 launches. Measurements taken during Starship’s fifth and sixth test flights indicated that even at distances of 10 kilometers, the sound was as loud as a rock concert. At 20 kilometers, it matched the noise level of a table saw or snow blower, and at 30–35 kilometers, it was comparable to a vacuum cleaner or hair dryer. That’s pretty loud.

“It’s got this low-frequency rumble that’s just overwhelming,” Dr. Gee explained. “And then on top of it, you have this kind of high-frequency popping. I call it crackle. It’s a very unique sound experience.”

In their paper, “Starship super heavy acoustics: Far-field noise measurements during launch and the first-ever booster catch“, Dr. Gee and his team notes that the booster return resulted in a louder sound from the sonic boom that heralds the return of the booster.

The highest-amplitude event at all eight stations is the flyback sonic boom which set off car alarms at Stations 2 (10.1 km) and 4 (16.6 km). A prior Falcon 9 study (Anderson , 2024) shows near the landing pad, maximum launch noise exceeds the flyback boom, but that there is a range (∼2 km for the Falcon 9) beyond which the cylindrically spreading boom’s overpressure becomes larger in amplitude than the spherically spreading launch noise. The booster’s flyback boom’s overpressure of 7.1 psf (0.34 kPa) is part of a clean triple-shock waveform that is similar to Falcon 9’s signature (Anderson , 2024), despite the fact that Falcon 9 has a different geometry. An ongoing investigation into the aeroacoustic origins of Falcon 9’s triple boom, when complete, should also provide insights into the Super Heavy flyback boom.

Starship super heavy acoustics: Far-field noise measurements during launch and the first-ever booster catch, Dr. Kent Gee, et. al, JASA Express Lett. 4, 113601 (2024)

Sounds Like Apollo

If that’s reminiscent to old-timers in the area of the venerable Saturn V from the Apollo program, they aren’t far off. Saturn V launches were well known for their low-frequency rumbles, which gave launch spectators the feeling of the Earth shaking below their feet.

The sound power produced by SLS (202.4 dB) is still extremely loud. We compared the launch noise levels recorded at 5 km away from the rocket to the sound levels of a fresh bowl of crackling Rice Krispies® and found that SLS’s noise intensity at this distance from the rocket was approximately 40 million times greater than the crackling of cereal. If this comparison only leaves you more confused, you can think of it being about as loud as operating a chainsaw (but with the rocket over 5 km away).

Taggart Durant, “SLS vs. Saturn V: Which Was Louder?”

Effects On Wildlife?

The intense noise levels in Texas have raised concerns about potential impacts on nearby communities and wildlife there in the lower Rio Grande area and for people here on the Space Coast. Residents have reported instances of car alarms being triggered and windows rattling due to the sonic booms. Dr. Gee emphasizes the need for further studies to understand the long-term effects of repeated exposure to such noise, especially with plans for frequent launches.

An Osprey on the hunt in Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Photo: Charles Boyer / Talk of Titusville

Starship Will Be Louder Than Falcon 9

“Titusville, Merritt Island, Cape Canaveral, those, those towns are, are gonna see greater sound levels than what you get with the Falcon 9,” Dr. Gee said.

As for the Starship Heavy noise experienced in Texas, “people are in Port Isabel — about 10 km away in Texas — they’re not reporting broken windows [after a Starship launch,]” he added. 10 km, or about 6.2 miles, is closer than any private property near LC-39A.

FAA diagram of noise from Starship launches

“I even suggested that resident surveys in the Boca Chica region would be helpful in assessing long range impacts.” Then Dr. Gee added, “I have to be careful because I don’t want to make people think that I’m calling out SpaceX saying you should XYZ. To me that’s the FAA or whoever’s job to say you ought to be looking at this because you could be gaining additional data that would be helpful in Florida.”

Those sound studies are underway, as part of the Environmental Assessment being completed by the FAA and NASA for the venerable launch complex.

Dr. Gee added, “We’re trying to put out information that we feel, feel like is helpful to provide a, to paint a realistic picture of where this rocket fits in with other rockets and what sound levels might be expected according to at least the propagation over two flights of what we measured in the field.”

The town of Cape Canaveral is embarking on sound studies, according to a recent report in Florida Today. Rick Neale reported in an article “Ahead of Starship’s arrival, Cape Canaveral to study rocket launch noise, vibrations” that:

“In a proactive move, the Cape Canaveral City Council unanimously approved an upcoming $10,019 rocket launch impact study with the Florida Institute of Technology. Researchers will install sensor suites this summer at a handful of municipal and privately owned buildings across the 1.9-square-mile city, collecting data on decibel levels, vibrations and air quality before, during and after every launch through at least May 2026.”

Dr. Gee concluded that more data is needed to fully understand the noise effects of rocket launches, “There’s longer term impacts that we just don’t quite understand yet. And I think that’s, there’s opportunities for the science to catch up.” With the City of Cape Canaveral monitoring every launch from preset locations, models that Dr. Gee and the BYU team create will only be more informative.

One thing is certain: the Eastern Range is only going to get busier as more companies conduct more launches with more powerful rockets. While Starship, SLS, and Falcon 9 get all of the attention, New Glenn and Vulcan are also in the mix, and that’s before Relativity, Vaya Space, and others join the fray.

The LC-39A EIS

The ongoing environmental assessment for Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center involves SpaceX’s Starship-Super Heavy launch and landings, with an expected high level of activity at the site.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is preparing an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), not an Environmental Assessment (EA), due to changes in the vehicle’s design and operations since the 2019 EA, which found no significant impact.

The EIS process was initiated with a Notice of Intent published on May 10, 2024, and scoping meetings were held in June 2024 to gather public input. A release date for the Draft EA has not yet been announced.

FAA LC39A Document 80626Download

In the document above, the FAA lays out its noise metrics that will be considered for the ongoing EIS.

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