Next·Rocket·Launch

Is there a rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center today?

Not today.

The next launch:

Falcon Heavy | Griffin Mission One

Sunday, November 29, 2026 · 7:00 PM ET (time not final) · Kennedy Space Center, Florida

T–--:--:--

To Be Determined

Times shown in ET. Status updates live from Launch Library 2.

Kennedy Space Center Launch Schedule

Kennedy Space Center is NASA’s historic launch site on Merritt Island, Florida — home of pad LC-39A, where Apollo 11 and today’s Falcon Heavy and Starship-class missions lift off.

Is there a rocket launch at Kennedy Space Center today? No — nothing is scheduled from Kennedy Space Center today. The next launch from here is Griffin Mission One, no earlier than November 2026.

Schedule last updated , direct from the range. All times ET.

Upcoming Kennedy Space Center launch dates

DateTime (ET)MissionRocketStatus
NET November 2026TBCGriffin Mission OneFalcon HeavyTo Be Determined

Also launching from Cape Canaveral

Kennedy’s LC-39A is reserved for larger missions, so in most months the neighbouring Cape Canaveral Space Force Station — 15 minutes south, same viewing spots — carries the bulk of Space Coast launches. Full Cape Canaveral schedule →

DateTime (ET)MissionRocketStatus
Sun, Sep 132:50 PMO3b mPower 11-13Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Confirmed
NET September 2026TBCCrew-13Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
NET September 2026TBCAmazon Leo (LV-01)Vulcan VC6LTo Be Determined
NET October 2026TBCBandwagon 5 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare)Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
NET October 2026TBCDragon CRS-2 SpX-35Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
NET December 2026TBCCygnus CRS-2 NG-25Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
NET December 2026TBCSDA Tranche 2 Transport Layer DFalcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
NET December 2026TBCTelesat Lightspeed 1Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
Wed, Dec 30TBCCHORUSFalcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
Wed, Dec 30TBCInmarsat-7 F1 (GX-7)Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined
Wed, Dec 30TBCDream Chaser CRS 2 Flight 1Vulcan VC4LTo Be Determined
Wed, Dec 30TBCGlobalstar 2-R Mission 2 (x 9)Falcon 9 Block 5To Be Determined

Next up in detail

Falcon Heavy | Griffin Mission One

SpaceX

To Be Determined

Planned for Nov 29 — date not yet set

Demonstration flight of the Astrobotic Griffin lander and its engines, initially contracted for the cancelled NASA VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) mission. The vacated payload spot will now host the FLIP (FLEX Lunar Innovation Platform) lunar rover from Astrolab.

Where to watch

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Official paid viewing with commentary, big screens, and the closest public vantage points (as close as ~3 miles for some launches). Packages sell out fast.

Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore

The closest free-ish public spot to LC-39A (~5 miles) when it’s open — a national seashore with a small per-car fee. Gates close when capacity is reached.

Titusville riverfront (Space View Park, Parrish Park)

Free viewing across the Indian River with direct line of sight to LC-39A, about 12 miles away.

Full Space Coast viewing guide →

Good to know

KSC launches (LC-39A) and Cape Canaveral launches (SLC-40 and others) are next-door neighbors — if you’re on the Space Coast, the same viewing spots work for both. Check both schedules.

For crewed launches and Falcon Heavy flights, plan like it’s a major sports event: roads jam hours ahead and hotels book out.

Kennedy Space Center launch questions

What is the difference between a Kennedy Space Center launch and a Cape Canaveral launch?
They are neighbouring sites about 15 minutes apart on the same stretch of Florida coast. Kennedy Space Center is NASA’s site on Merritt Island; its pad LC-39A handles Falcon Heavy, crewed Dragon flights and other large missions. Cape Canaveral Space Force Station is the Space Force range just south, and SLC-40 there flies most of Florida’s routine traffic. Because Kennedy takes only the bigger missions, its own schedule is often short while the Cape’s is full — from a viewing spot on the Space Coast, both look much the same.
Does NASA still launch rockets from Kennedy Space Center?
Yes, though not on NASA-owned rockets day to day. LC-39A is leased to SpaceX, and NASA astronauts and payloads reach orbit on commercial vehicles — Crew Dragon on Falcon 9, science missions on Falcon Heavy. NASA’s own SLS flies from LC-39B for the Artemis programme. So NASA missions still depart from Kennedy; the hardware underneath them is mostly commercial.
Can you still watch a Space Shuttle launch at Kennedy Space Center?
No. The Space Shuttle programme ended in July 2011 with STS-135, and Atlantis is now on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. A search for a "shuttle launch schedule" today effectively means the Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy and SLS flights listed on this page.
Is "Cape Kennedy" the same place as Kennedy Space Center?
Not quite. Cape Canaveral was officially renamed Cape Kennedy from 1963 to 1973 and then changed back, so no launch site carries that name today. People searching for "Cape Kennedy launches" generally mean either Kennedy Space Center or Cape Canaveral Space Force Station next door — both are covered here.
How far ahead are Kennedy Space Center launch dates confirmed?
Rarely more than a couple of weeks. Anything more than a month out is usually a placeholder, shown on this page as "NET" — no earlier than — with a month rather than a day. A time given to the minute alongside a "Go for Launch" status is the signal that the T-0 is real.
Where can you watch a Kennedy Space Center launch for free?
The Titusville riverfront — Space View Park and Parrish Park — has a direct line of sight to LC-39A across the Indian River from about 12 miles out, and costs nothing. Playalinda Beach gets you closer, roughly 5 miles, for a small per-car fee when the gates are open. The Visitor Complex sells the nearest views, but those packages sell out well in advance.

Recent launches from Kennedy Space Center

Falcon Heavy | Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope

SpaceX

Launch Successful

Sun, Aug 30 · 7:26 AM ET

The Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is a NASA infrared space telescope with a 2.4 m (7.9 ft) wide field of view primary mirror and two scientific instruments. The Wide-Field Instrument (WFI) is a 300.8-megapixel multi-band visible and near-infrared camera, providing a sharpness of images comparable to that achieved by the Hubble Space Telescope over a 0.28 square degree field of view, 100 times larger than imaging cameras on the Hubble. The Coronagraphic Instrument (CGI) is a high-contrast, small field of view camera and spectrometer covering visible and near-infrared wavelengths using novel starlight-suppression technology. Roman objectives include a search for extra-solar planets using gravitational microlensing, and probing the expansion history of the Universe and the growth of cosmic structure, with the goal of measuring the effects of dark energy, the consistency of general relativity, and the curvature of spacetime.

All recent launches →