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Thousands of people hoping to get tickets to see NASA’s Artemis I lunar rocket launch briefly crashed the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex website this week, but a quick fix has sold out the hottest viewing packages. close in just a few hours.
Those looking to see the first launch of the 322ft Space Launch System rocket, which was scheduled to fly between August 29 and September 5, up close, exceeded the site’s capacity when tickets went on sale at 11 a.m. Tuesday . Two and a half hours later, the visitor complex said the two most expensive passes – out of three in total – had sold out.
Rebecca Burgman, spokesperson for the Visitor Complex, confirmed that the technical issues caused by the request were quickly resolved.
“This is a historic mission and there was heavy traffic on the website when tickets became available at 11 a.m. on August 2,” Burgman said. “There were initial delays with the ticketing site which our team was able to quickly resolve.”
The first to sell out was “Feel the Heat,” a $250 ticket that includes viewing of the launch from the Apollo/Saturn V Center of the Hospitality Complex on the KSC property. Viewing from the center of the Saturn V rocket is one of the only ways the public can watch launches from inside the secure spaceport perimeter. This viewpoint is approximately 3.5 miles from pad 39B, where Artemis I will take off.
Then the $150 “Feel the Fun” packages sold out. These tickets include viewing from a specially designated outdoor area on the north side of the Space Shuttle Atlantis exhibit. This location is just outside of NASA property but still much closer to the launch site than other publicly accessible areas. Its main advantage is that it includes a direct line of sight to KSC with no buildings in the way.
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Burgman said those hoping to nab tickets are out of luck: Viewing from the main campus is still available for $99. These tickets and the “Feel the Fun” tickets are approximately 8 miles from the launch pad.
“We have multiple launch viewing sites for this launch, including enhanced main complex viewing areas,” Burgman said. “We are expecting thousands of guests for this special launch.”
Tickets offer additional benefits beyond takeoff. Burgman said there will be educational experiences and presentations by LEGO capsule builder and Orion Lockheed Martin; guests will receive a commemorative launch card; and a scavenger hunt is held that ends with a prize while supplies last.
Tickets are available at kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events.
The thousands of guests at the Visitor Complex join the at least 100,000 spectators expected to throng the Space Coast for the rocket’s debut. That figure could be significantly higher, according to the Tourism Development Board, and many hotels are already fully booked.
As it stands, the Artemis I mission has solid opportunities to fly on August 29, September 2, or September 5. It will mark the first flight of the SLS rocket and the Orion capsule, both of which have been chosen to carry astronauts. return to the lunar surface during this decade.
This specific mission is uncrewed, but will spend weeks traveling to the moon, flying into orbit, and then returning to Earth for a splashdown. SLS will be the most powerful rocket to ever fly from the Space Coast.
For the latest information, visit floridatoday.com/launchschedule.
Contact Emre Kelly at [email protected] or 321-242-3715. Follow him on TwitterFacebook and Instagram at @EmreKelly.
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