The Artemis II event will be the family’s first time seeing a rocket launch in person. Aaron said they planned to drive into Titusville to find a viewing area that isn’t too overcrowded.
The influx of visitors to coastal stretches of central Florida, while challenging for traffic, is a major boost for the local economy.
Beachfront hotels sold out weeks, if not months, in advance. And many local businesses are getting in on the launch fun.
An Ace Hardware in Titusville featured a photo of the astronaut crew on its sign, advertising that the store carries all supplies needed for launch-viewing. A shop in Cocoa Beach was selling special launch merchandise, including an Artemis II Hawaiian shirt.
The Playalinda Brewing Company, meanwhile, created a themed pale ale dubbed Artemis IIPA.
“Back in 2022, Playalinda released an Artemis Pale Ale, but with this new venture, we wanted to step it up, so it became the Artemis II Double IPA,” said Ronnie Chabot, one of the company’s four owner-operators.
After the beer was released on Feb. 3 — ahead of NASA’s first targeted launch window that month — Chabot said cans and draft sold out in days. The brew’s retro-looking labels show the Space Launch System rocket and the Orion spacecraft, with an “Easter egg” for space nerds: The moon is depicted in the exact phase it would have been had Artemis II launched in the February window.
When NASA was forced to forgo launch opportunities that month, Playalinda decided to make another, bigger batch. Those cans also sold out quickly.
“It was the fastest thing we’ve sold out at this brewery,” Chabot said.
