Central Florida beach to close ahead of Artemis II launch
AMERICA’S FIRST CREWED MISSION TO THE MOON IN MORE THAN HALF A CENTURY MAY BLAST OFF IN JUST A MATTER OF WEEKS AND TO PREPARE FOR ARTEMIS TWO, OFFICIALS IN BREVARD COUNTY ARE PREPARING TO CLOSE DOWN A POPULAR BEACH. AS WESH TWO MEAGHAN MORIARTY EXPLAINS, THESE CLOSURES COULD CONTINUE IF THE LAUNCH GETS PUSHED BACK. ARTEMIS TWO IS SET TO LAUNCH AS EARLY AS FEBRUARY 6TH, SENDING FOUR ASTRONAUTS AROUND THE MOON. BUT AHEAD OF THAT LAUNCH DATE, PLAYALINDA BEACH WILL CLOSE ON JANUARY 31ST, AND IT WON’T REOPEN UNTIL THE ROCKET BLASTS OFF, SOMETHING BEACHGOERS ARE SAYING THEY THINK IS A GOOD IDEA FOR THE MOST PART. I THINK SO, AGAIN, JUST FOR SAFETY FIRST. SO IF YOU’VE GOT TO CLOSE DOWN THE BEACH THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE TO ACCESS, THEY SHOULD FIND ANOTHER AREA THAT PEOPLE CAN COME IN AND OBSERVE THAT THE CLOSURE COULD EXTEND TO OTHER MONTHS, LIKE MARCH AND APRIL. IF THE ROCKET DOESN’T GO OFF DURING ITS WINDOW IN FEBRUARY. AND THE SAME THING WILL HAPPEN ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THEY’LL CLOSE. THE REASON IS BECAUSE I THINK THEY’RE GOING TO BE DOING THE WET DRESS REHEARSAL, WHERE THEY’LL BE LOADING THE PROPELLANTS, WHICH ARE EXPLOSIVE, AND SO YOU DON’T WANT THE PUBLIC TO BE ANYWHERE NEAR THAT IN CASE ANYTHING HAPPENS. AND THESE CLOSURES COULD BECOME MORE FREQUENT WITH STARSHIP ON THE WAY, THE COMPANY ASKING TO LAUNCH UP TO 44 TIMES A YEAR. THIS PORTENDS WHAT WILL HAPPEN WITH STARSHIP. NOW THEY HAVE SAID THEY COULD CLOSE UP TO TWO MONTHS A YEAR. I THINK THAT’S A REALLY TERRIBLE THING TO HAVE TO HAPPEN. DOCTOR KEN KRAMER, A RESEARCH CHEMIST AND FOUNDER OF SPACE UP CLOSE, SAYS SPACEX SHOULD USE PAD 37 INSTEAD OF 39 A TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CLOSURES, BUT CONSTRUCTION IS ALREADY UNDERWAY AT PAD 39 A, WE CAN ONLY HOPE THAT SPACEX WILL MINIMIZE THE CLOSURES. IT’S A SENTIMENT THAT BEACHGOERS ECHO AS WELL. NOW, AS THE COMMERCIAL, PRIVATE AND PUBLIC SIDE OF THE SPACEX LAUNCHES, CONTINUE TRYING TO FIND A LONG TERM SOLUTION INSTEAD OF HAVING TO SHUT DOWN FOR THE FLIGHTS. AS THEY BECOME MORE AND MORE FREQUENT, COVERING THE SPACE COAST. MEAGHAN MORIARTY WESH TWO NEWS. PLAYALINDA BEACH WILL CLOSE JANUARY 31ST AND STA
Central Florida beach to close ahead of Artemis II launch
Updated: 5:56 PM EST Jan 14, 2026
Artemis II is set to launch four astronauts around the moon as early as Feb. 6.Ahead of the launch, Playalinda Beach will be making changes. Beginning Jan. 12, Playalinda Beach operating hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Jan. 30. On Jan. 31, the entire Playalinda Beach District will be closed until Feb. 6, or until a successful launch.The closure could extend into other months, such as March and April, if the rocket does not launch during its Feb. 6–11 window.“The same thing will happen about a week before,” research chemist Ken Kremer said. “They’ll close, and the reason is because I think they’ll be doing the wet dress rehearsal, where they’ll be loading the propellants, which are explosive. We don’t want the public to be anywhere near that if anything happens.”These closures could become more frequent with SpaceX’s Starship rocket on the way. The company has requested permission to launch up to 44 times a year.“This portends what will happen with Starship,” Kremer said. “They have said they could close up to two months a year. I think that is really a terrible thing to have happen.”Kremer said SpaceX should use Pad 37 instead of Pad 39A to reduce the number of closures. However, construction is already underway on Pad 39A.“We can only hope that SpaceX will minimize the closures,” Kremer said.
TITUSVILLE, Fla. —
Artemis II is set to launch four astronauts around the moon as early as Feb. 6.
Ahead of the launch, Playalinda Beach will be making changes. Beginning Jan. 12, Playalinda Beach operating hours will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Jan. 30. On Jan. 31, the entire Playalinda Beach District will be closed until Feb. 6, or until a successful launch.
The closure could extend into other months, such as March and April, if the rocket does not launch during its Feb. 6–11 window.
“The same thing will happen about a week before,” research chemist Ken Kremer said. “They’ll close, and the reason is because I think they’ll be doing the wet dress rehearsal, where they’ll be loading the propellants, which are explosive. We don’t want the public to be anywhere near that if anything happens.”
These closures could become more frequent with SpaceX’s Starship rocket on the way. The company has requested permission to launch up to 44 times a year.
“This portends what will happen with Starship,” Kremer said. “They have said they could close up to two months a year. I think that is really a terrible thing to have happen.”
Kremer said SpaceX should use Pad 37 instead of Pad 39A to reduce the number of closures. However, construction is already underway on Pad 39A.
“We can only hope that SpaceX will minimize the closures,” Kremer said.