Amazon-ULA rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, may be visible in Collier County
A rocket launch from Florida could potentially blast off on Monday, June 16, and be visible outside of the Sunshine State.
United Launch Alliance will launch the second batch of Amazon satellites into space — and it's possible people can see the Atlas V rocket far outside of Florida.
When ULA launches its massive rocket, depending on cloud cover, Floridians (and visitors) as far as Jacksonville, Cape Coral and Miami could see it light up the sky after liftoff from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Visibility from most of Florida is possible, according to ULA.
What's on board ULA Atlas V? Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' Project Kuiper, a global network of satellites, to compete with SpaceX founder-billionaire Elon Musk and Starlink satellites.
This will be the second launch of the Amazon Project Kuiper production satellites, courtesy of the ULA Atlas V rocket. Online, the mission has been called the "Amazon rocket launch" or "the Amazon rocket launch from Florida." Technically, it's an "Amazon-ULA rocket launch" or "Amazon satellite launch." Bezos also founded the private space company Blue Origin, which launches rockets at a facility in Texas and in Cape Canaveral.
➤ Business is booming: Florida's Space Coast is one of fastest-growing economies in U.S.
In Florida, we can best see the "Amazon satellite launch" in person, particularly if you're anywhere on the Space Coast (Melbourne, Florida, area), the Fun Coast (Daytona Beach area) or the Treasure Coast (Vero Beach, Jensen Beach and Fort Pierce).
Below is more information about the rocket launch in Florida and suggestions on where to watch them from here.
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For questions or comments, email FLORIDA TODAY Space Reporter Rick Neale at rneale@floridatoday.com or Space Reporter Brooke Edwards at bedwards@floridatoday.com. For more space news from the USA TODAY Network, visit floridatoday.com/space.
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Mission: United Launch Alliance will launch an Atlas V rocket carrying Amazon's second batch of broadband satellites for its Project Kuiper constellation. Amazon's Project Kuiper is Jeff Bezos' attempt to compete with SpaceX founder Elon Musk's Starlink satellite mission.
Launch window: 1:25 p.m. ET Monday, June 16, 2025
Launch location: Launch complex 41 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Cape Canaveral, Florida
Sonic booms: No
Trajectory: Northeast − it's possible the ULA Atlas V rocket will be visible outside of Florida after liftoff, from Cape Canaveral to New Jersey.
Live coverage starts two hours minutes before liftoff at : You can watch live rocket launch coverage from USA TODAY Network's Space Team, which consists of FLORIDA TODAY space reporters Rick Neale and Brooke Edwards and visuals journalists Craig Bailey, Malcolm Denemark and Tim Shortt. Our Space Team will provide up-to-the-minute updates in a mobile-friendly live blog, complete with a countdown clock, at floridatoday.com/space, starting 90 minutes before liftoff. You can download the free FLORIDA TODAY app, which is available in the App Store or Google Play, or type into your browser.
Shown is the National Weather Service-Melbourne radar, which shows conditions in real-time for the Space Coast, Brevard County, Orlando and other parts of Florida. The current date and time show up on the bottom right of this radar embed; otherwise, you may need to clear your cache.
ULA provided a helpful graphic (see above) that shows the Atlas V launch of Kuiper 2 for Amazon and its intended flight path and launch visibility.
Note: Cities in the Space Coast of Florida, which is in Brevard County and measures 72 miles of coast, include Titusville, Mims, Port St. John, Merritt Island, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, Melbourne, West Melbourne, Palm Bay, Satellite Beach, Indian Harbour Beach, Indialantic, Melbourne Beach, Grant-Valkaria and Sebastian.
Launch, Space Coast, east Orlando, near University of Central Florida, Bithlo, the northern part of the Treasure Coast, Indian River County, Sebastian, Vero Beach, parts of Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill
1: Launch + 30 seconds, Space Coast, Orlando, the Treasure Coast, Indian River County, Sebastian, Vero Beach, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach and Oak Hill, Volusia County, St. Augustine, Ocala, Lakeland area
2: Launch + 90 seconds, which includes PLF Jettison or separation and jettison of the payload fairing: Space Coast, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Oak Hill, Port Orange, Volusia County, Treasure Coast, Indian River County, Martin County, St. Lucie County, Orlando, Sanford, Kissimmee, Central Florida, Ocala, Lakeland, St. Augustine, Ponte Vedra Beach
3: Launch + 150 seconds, which includes solid rocket booster jettison, visibility extends to Sebring, Winter Haven, Palatka, Gainesville, Jacksonville, Sarasota, Manatee County, Sarasota County, Tampa, St. Petersburg, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Naples, Collier County, Lee County, Clearwater, West Palm Beach, Lake Worth Beach, Wellington, Jupiter, Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, southern Georgia, Savannah, Georgia, parts of the Caribbean, the Bahamas
4: Launch + 210 seconds, which includes booster separation, Tallahassee, Panama City, Panhandle, Big Bend area of Florida; visibility extends beyond Florida to Georgia, South Carolina, parts of North Carolina
5: Launch + 270 seconds, ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility extends beyond Florida to these other states and cities:
Georgia; Savannah, Georgia; Atlanta, Georgia; Columbus, Georgia
Alabama; Dothan, Alabama; just outside Birmingham, Alabama
Tennessee; Knoxville, Tennessee; just outside Huntsville, Tennessee; just outside Nashville, Tennessee
Kentucky
South Carolina; Spartanburg, South Carolina
North Carolina; High Point, North Carolina; Winston-Salem, North Carolina; Charlotte, North Carolina; Wilmington, North Carolina
Virginia; Virginia Beach, Virginia; Richmond, Virginia
West Virginia; Charleston, West Virginia
Maryland; Washington, Maryland
Delaware; Annapolis, Delaware; Dover, Delaware
6: Launch + 330 seconds, ULA Atlas V rocket launch visibility extends beyond Florida to these other states and cities:
New Jersey: Trenton, New Jersey; New York, New Jersey
Pennsylvania: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Erie, Pennsylvania
Ohio: Cleveland, Ohio; Columbus, Ohio; Cincinnati, Ohio; Toledo, Ohio
Indiana: just outside Indianapolis, Indiana; Fort Wayne, Indiana
Michigan: Detroit, Michigan
Kentucky: just outside Louisville, Kentucky
Rhode Island: Providence, Rhode Island
Connecticut: Hartford, Connecticut
Massachusetts: Boston, Massachusetts
New York: Binghamton, New York; Albany, New York
7: Launch + 390 seconds, visibility of Atlas V rocket may be possible in these states:
Alabama
Tennessee
Kentucky
Georgia
South Carolina
North Carolina
Virginia
West Virginia
Ohio
Indiana
Michigan
Delaware
Maryland
New Jersey
Pennsylvania
New York
Rhode Island
Connecticut
Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Vermont
Maine
Toronto, Canada
The above guidelines are estimates based on the graphic provided by ULA.
Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.
This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: Rocket launch in Florida: Will Atlas V be seen in Naples after liftoff
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