IMPORTANT NOTES
All NEWLY updated information is in GREEN TEXT below.
Information still to be determined is in RED TEXT below.
Dates and times that are subject to change at NASA’s discretion are in PURPLE TEXT below.
Last update of this page: May 8, 2026 at 12:06 pm ET
This page provides basic logistical information for the SSEP delegations traveling to Florida for the launch of the Mission 19 to ISS Endeavour experiments payload aboard SpaceX CRS-34. Liftoff is currently scheduled for May 12, 2026 at 7:16 pm ET, from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A), NASA Kennedy Space Center. In case of a 24-scrub scrub, the launch will be rescheduled to May 13, 2026 at 6:50 pm ET.
Launch Viewing Summary – all SSEP Mission 19 delegations will be viewing the launch from the LC-39 Gantry (all delegation members MUST purchase tickets for KSCVC admission and launch viewing at the LC-39 Gantry directly from the KSCVC website or call center).
Delegation Status – currently, we have 10 attending (3 SSEP Student Researchers, 0 Mission Patch designers, 4 teachers/administrators, 0 family members, and 3 other stakeholders) from 3 communities.
Please note that the deadline for providing final attendee numbers is Tuesday, May 5, 2026 by 12:00 pm ET. After this time, the delegations will be locked and new attendees will not be added.
CONTACTS
For all questions, please contact SSEP Flight Operations Manager John Hamel at johnhamel@ncesse.org or call 434-882-5177.
A. Basic Travel Information
1. Airline and Airport
Where should folks fly in? NASA recommends to their guests that they fly into Orlando given it is serviced by multiple carriers. You can certainly try flying in to Melbourne, which is closer, but flights are far more limited.
However, we strongly advise you to use Southwest, which only flies into Orlando. Here is why—
Everyone traveling to Florida needs to be aware that you’re planning a trip—with significant expense—to see a historic event that may not happen on the date it is scheduled. You may book travel and then find a day later that the launch is postponed. Or … everything is going just fine, you get to Florida and then you find the launch is delayed (“scrubbed”) to a date after your scheduled departure, and you’d like to stay a few more days in the hope of seeing the launch. The main problem is airfare. For most carriers, if you book at their cheap, non-refundable rate, and you need to make a change, you’ll pay a significant change fee per ticket (typically $150) AND you’ll need to pay the difference between the fare you already paid and the new fare. The new fare could be $1,000 or more higher than your original purchase price given most carriers dramatically increase the cost of a ticket as you get closer to the travel date. With the change fee, you might be looking at a $1,200 per ticket added cost—on top of the original price you paid. But that is not the case with Southwest—
If you book online, Southwest offers Wanna Get Away non-refundable fares which are very reasonable. If you need to change your flight, there is no change fee, and you can try to get another cheap Wanna Get Away fare if they are still available. If not, you can get their refundable Anytime fare, which is still reasonable and likely the highest price fare you’d need to get. The Anytime fare for the same flight does not change as you get closer to the travel date. For a flight change you pay the price difference between the fares. That means you know right now what the likely worst potential added cost of a change would be. Also, the Anytime fare is refundable. So if you end up making a flight change from a Wanna Get Away to an Anytime ticket, but then end up not going to Florida (say the launch is delayed yet again to a date you cannot attend), you can get reimbursed for the difference between the Wanna Get Away fare and the Anytime fare.
You cannot beat Soutwest’s fare structure if you need to build into your thinking that the launch can slip—and you DO need to build that into your thinking.
2. General Information – Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (KSCVC)
The KSCVC provides access to a number of attractions, including: the Shuttle Launch Experience (a launch simulation), IMAX films, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame (including interactive spaceflight simulators), the Apollo/Saturn V Center, the Kennedy Space Center Tour, and the newly arrived, retired Space Shuttle Atlantis.
DOWNLOAD MAP of Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex
Here is general visitor information for the KSCVC:
General admission is $77 adult/$67 child (ages 3-11) plus tax
You can add behind-the-scenes tours, KSC Up-Close Launch Control Center Tour, KSC Up-Close Cape Canaveral: Then & Now Tour and KSC Up-Close Explore Tour. The added cost of a behind-the-scenes tour is $30 adult/$24 child (ages 3-11) plus tax. KSCVC and NASA/KSC cannot offer a discount to SSEP delegates to the launch.
Important notes:
a. You must pay KSCVC general admission even if you only want to take a behind-the-scenes tour.
b. Behind-the-scenes tours can book up well in advance of your trip, particularly when close to a launch day, so reserve a tour in advance of your trip!
c. To book reservations for general admission and a behind-the-scenes tour call 888-737-5235.
3. Hotels
We have identified a number of hotels in the area. The hotel we recommend in the Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center by Marriott. This hotel is approximately 7 miles from the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex and has a great space theme. Please note that when booking a hotel, make sure to find out what happens to your commitment of payment if the launch date slips before you arrive in Florida.
Courtyard Titusville Kennedy Space Center
Jump to the Hotels page.
B. The SSEP Launch Plan for SpaceX CRS-34
1. Key Thinking for Planning
Fly in as late as reasonable before the launch so that if the launch is delayed by just one or two days there is still an opportunity to see the launch if you stay in Florida for a few days. However, we strongly advise you NOT to fly in the day of the launch, which could cause you to miss it due to airline delays or traffic. In addition, for a morning launch, there is no ability for you to fly in on the same day and get to NASA Kennedy on time. The recommendation is therefore to fly in the day before launch, and extend your stay until at least the day after launch.
2. Viewing the Launch in Person
-The KSCVC regular operating hours are: 9:00 am – 5:00 pm.
-Regular admission tickets are: $77.00 plus tax. However, there is an online special right now — from March 9 – May 24, 2026, purchase adult admission tickets for the cost of a child admission ticket ($67.00 plus tax), a $10 savings per ticket. You will need to purchase a regular admission ticket even if you don’t plan to spend the day at the KSCVC.
-Lauch Viewing Tickets to watch from the LC-39 Gantry: $99.00 plus tax; these can be purchased by any KSCVC visitor. Please note that you will need to purchase both tickets in advance of arriving at KSCVC. The launch viewing tickets are scheduled to be live on the KSCVC website on 5/6/26 at 11:00 am ET. You will want to purchase these ASAP either via the KSCVC webiste or the KSCVC call center because there are only 400 tickets available to the public.
Link to purchase tickets (went live 5/6/26): Buy tickets now
Please review the Launch Scrub Policy
-Regarding the schedule the day of the launch, the meeting place and time for transport over to the LC-39 Gantry will be on the launch viewing tickets. Based on the information posted on the KSCVC website, check in will begin at 5:00 pm ET at boarding will begin at 5:15 pm ET at the main Bus Boarding Area. Therefore, if you don’t spend the day at the KSCVC, you will need to be inside the gates before 5:00 pm ET, so that you can proceed to the launch viewing check-in area at the appropriate time.
3. Viewing Locations – Kennedy Space Center and Public Viewing Locations
The map below provides multiple viewing locations, including: the main KSCVC, Banana Creek, and multiple public viewing locations in Titusville, Port Canaveral, and Cocoa Beach.
Of note –
- the Banana Creek Launch Viewing Site is 4 miles from LC-39A
- the main KSCVC is 7.5 miles from LC-39A
- our preferred public viewing site, the center of the Max Brewer Bridge, is 12 miles from LC-39A, with a parking lot at Sand Point Park
Click on Map to Zoom
Download: Public Viewing Sites
Download: Launch Viewing Map Document