When there are rockets launched from Cape Canaveral Florida, we are able to see them from anywhere along the Juno and Jupiter Beaches in Southern Florida. The most visible launches are those where the flight path is southerly and at night. And often SpaceX launches will return the booster to a drone ship that is nearly directly off the coast. While the drone ship and the actual landing is not visible, the engine burn as it descends to the drone ship can be very visible.
February 18, 2026 Launch
Image above is from a SpaceX Falcon 9 Night Launch on February 18, 2026. Main rocket is heading down range towards orbit to deploy Starlink satellites. The booster is coming back to land on the drone ship.
Additional photos from the launch below:
December 30, 2024 Launch
Images below are from a SpaceX Falcon 9 Launch on Dec 30th, 2024 at 12:40AM. Taken from Jupiter Beach, FL. Main rocket is heading down range towards orbit to deploy Starlink satellites. The booster is coming back to land on the drone ship and is visible through the clouds along with the reflection of the engine exhaust on the water.
Below are additional photos taken of the launch. First image is as it takes off and appears above the skyglow from a condo building on the coast. Next pictures are taken as it goes downrange. The final 2 pictures show the rocket going down range and the booster landing on the drone ship.
All images are taken with a Canon EOS M200 and a Rokinon 12mm f/2.0 manual lens wide angle lens. First attempt at photographing a rocket launch and first time using the Rokinon Lens.