Kennedy Space Center and mediaĬrowds gathering to see the launch as spectators aren't the only visitors expected on the Space Coast. The visitor complex's tickets for Artemis I viewing will go on sale 11 a.m. Inside the new exhibit is a scale model of the SLS rocket, a flown Orion capsule similar to the one on Artemis I, and other items like a ceiling-mounted SpaceX Falcon Heavy booster. '(The visitor complex) will offer special Artemis launch viewing packages that will include some of the closest public viewing opportunities with distinctive experiences like live commentary from space experts and access to select exhibits and attractions.'Īrtemis I's launch ties in with the complex's recently opened ' Gateway: The Deep Space Launch Complex' exhibit, which focuses on the future of spaceflight. 'We are expecting capacity crowds at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex for the upcoming Artemis launch,' said Therrin Protze, the visitor complex's chief operating officer. 'We also anticipate having people book rooms and visit the Space Bar to feel the excitement of seeing Artemis on the launch pad in the days leading up to launch,' White said.ĭelaware North's main Space Coast operation is the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, which is expecting to sell out its Artemis day offerings. The company franchised the Courtyard hotel brand and paid for the project. 'We’ve had more and more people discover the hotel since it opened in April, with steadily increasing room bookings and patronage of The Space Bar on the roof,' said Glen White, director of corporate communications for Delaware North. Completed this year and opened to the public in April, it boasts views of KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station pads and even has a rooftop 'Space Bar' specifically for launch viewing.Īll the Courtyard's rooms, along with the Space Bar, are sold out for Artemis I. The space-themed Courtyard by Marriott Titusville – Kennedy Space Center is one of the area's newest hotels. Just glancing at hotel room listings shows a rapidly dwindling supply among those that haven't been sold out.

More space news: NASA chooses SpaceX for $255 million Falcon Heavy telescope launch Is Russia leaving ISS?: What Russia's threat to pull out of the ISS might mean for NASA 'Being known for that is something that makes us special among our peers who obviously have beaches to promote, but no space program.' 'Our marketing line is we're the only beach that doubles as a launch pad and now that's a message we can put out there because the frequency is so elevated,' he said. Both KSC and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station have hosted 32 launches this year, a pace not seen since the 1960s. Speaking to the greater launch cadence, Cranis said Artemis also supports his office's efforts at marketing the Space Coast. Each unit can obviously accommodate more than one person, but those numbers likely won't be impacted by spectators driving from Orlando, for example, to see the launch without staying overnight. 'I would expect certainly over 100,000, if not more, coming for that.'Īs of June, Cranis said, Brevard County had 10,734 hotel rooms and 4,500 vacation rental units. 'I think the crewed launches and these Artemis launches are going to be of equal interest to people,' Cranis said. It wouldn't be a stretch to expect more than 100,000 for Artemis I. Some of the recent SpaceX Crew Dragon launches, which take astronauts to the International Space Station from KSC, have drawn between 100,000 and 250,000 visitors, according to Peter Cranis, executive director of the Space Coast Office of Tourism. Even during the height of the coronavirus pandemic, thousands still flocked to Brevard County to see launches. Since then, crowds have been smaller, but still significant. During the space shuttle era that ran through 2011, half a million or more visitors would sometimes flood the area, scooping up hotel rooms and packing local businesses. The Space Coast isn't a stranger to launch day crowds. NASA: Artemis I moves forward for August launch of around-the-moon mission When is the Artemis I launch?: NASA working toward late August launch of Artemis I mission to the moon

Artemis II will do the same with astronauts, then Artemis III will put two astronauts on the surface sometime after 2024. That starts with the uncrewed Artemis I mission and its plan to take an Orion capsule on a four-to-six-week journey to the moon and back. The rocket is part of NASA's Artemis program, which aims to put humans back on the moon sometime this decade. All told, Space Coast officials are expecting at least 100,000 visitors for the rocket's first window, which includes opportunities on Aug.

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