View Falcon Heavy NROL-97 Launch from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

Feel the Heat launch packages now on sale for the SpaceX Falcon Heavy NROL-97 Mission.

Tickets are now on sale for the nighttime launch of the SpaceX Falcon Heavy NROL-97 mission, offering guests the unforgettable opportunity to watch one of the world’s most powerful operational rockets light up the sky from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.

A SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket will launch the NROL-97 mission no earlier than (NET) Thursday, October 1, 2026 from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center. Guests can experience the launch from the Apollo/Saturn V Center, one of the closest public viewing locations at just under four miles from the launch pad.

The Feel the Heat Launch Package, which costs $250 plus tax, includes bus transportation to the Apollo/Saturn V Center, where guests will have access to the center as well as its lawn and the Banana Creek bleachers.

The package also includes:

• Two-day admission to Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex (second visit valid within 30 days post-launch)

• Complimentary buffet meal

• Mission badge with lanyard, complimentary souvenir and commemorative launch card

• Digital photo (taken at bus boarding)

• Launch audio, video feed and commentary by a space-expert communicator

NROL-97 will carry a classified payload for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO). The mission will be the first NRO launch aboard a Falcon Heavy rocket.

To purchase tickets and for more information, visit kennedyspacecenter.com

NROL-97 MISSION

SpaceX is targeting Thursday, October 1 for Falcon Heavy’s launch of the NROL-97 mission from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Liftoff is targeted for 11:53 p.m. ET, with a backup opportunity available on Friday, October 2 at 11:48 p.m. ET.

This is the second and fourth flight for the two first stage side boosters supporting this mission, which previously launched the GOES-U, Viasat-3 F3, and Roman Space Telescope missions. Following stage separation, Falcon Heavy’s two side boosters will land on SpaceX’s Landing Zones 1 and 2 (LZ-1 and LZ-2) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

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