The first launch of the SLS rocket for the Artemis 1 mission promises to be spectacular, being the most powerful rocket ever built by the US space agency. According to local authorities, the event can attract up to 400,000 people, writes AFP.

The Kennedy Space Center, where it will launch, is closed to the public, but spectators will be able to watch it rise into the sky and hear its roar from nearby beaches and other locations.

“I remember some of the moon landings when I was a kid,” Alberto Tirado told AFP during the Apollo program in an interview in Cocoa Beach a day before the planned launch.

On Monday, the first launch attempt was canceled at the last minute due to technical problems. Local authorities expected 100,000 to 200,000 visitors.

The total number of tourists who actually arrived has not yet been confirmed, but it could “double” this weekend, Brevard regional official Don Walker told AFP on Friday.

“We estimate the launch crowd at 200,000 to 400,000 people,” he said.

By comparison, SpaceX’s first manned launch in 2020 drew 220,000 people (during the pandemic).

The fact that the launch is expected not during the week but on a weekend – and an extended weekend with a public holiday on Monday – and its historic nature contribute to the expected attendance success, said Meghan Happel of Florida. AFP Space Coast Tourist Board.