BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. – Playalinda Beach on Monday changed its hours of operation in preparation for NASA’s Artemis II launch next month.
Playalinda Beach will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Jan. 30, according to Canaveral National Seashore. Then, the entire Playalinda Beach District will close from Jan. 31 through Feb. 6, or until the day Artemis II successfully launches.
NASA is preparing to roll out the Artemis II rocket and Orion spacecraft to the launchpad at Kennedy Space Center no earlier than Jan. 17.
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NASA said crews have been working around the clock to close out remaining tasks ahead of rollout, though the date could shift if additional technical work or weather delays arise.
Once the SLS and Orion reach the pad, NASA will begin connecting ground support equipment, powering up integrated systems and verifying that flight hardware, the mobile launcher and pad infrastructure operate together as designed.
The Artemis II crew — NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover and Christina Koch, and Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jeremy Hansen — will conduct a final walkdown at the pad.
Following the rehearsal, NASA will convene a flight readiness review before selecting a launch date. The earliest launch window opens Feb. 6, with additional opportunities through mid‑April based on orbital mechanics, lighting constraints and mission requirements.
Artemis II will send astronauts on a roughly 10‑day flight around the moon, the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit in more than 50 years and a key step toward establishing a sustained human presence on the lunar surface.
The seashore will go back to normal operating hours, 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., the day after Artemis II launches.