Canaveral National Seashore will implement temporary schedule changes at Playalinda Beach to support NASA’s upcoming Artemis II mission, the National Park Service announced on January 9th.

Beginning Sunday, January 12th, the Playalinda District will operate on reduced hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., two hours shorter than the normal 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. schedule. The modified hours will remain in effect through January 31st.

Playalinda Beach Schedule Changes

Canaveral National Seashore – Artemis II Launch Support

Dates	Hours	Status
January 12 – January 30, 2026	8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	Reduced Hours
January 31 – February 6, 2026*	—	Closed
Day after successful launch	6:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.	Normal Hours Resume
*Closure continues until day of successful Artemis II launch For more information: www.nps.gov/cana/planyourvisit/hours.htm Phone: (321) 267-1110

Starting January 31st, the entire Playalinda Beach District will close completely and remain closed through February 6th—or until the day of a successful Artemis II launch. The closure encompasses the period when NASA’s first launch window opens for the historic crewed lunar mission.

Normal operating hours will resume the day following a successful launch.

Visitors planning trips to the seashore during this period should check the National Park Service website or contact the park directly for the latest access information.

Day OR Night Launch, Most Of MINWR Won’t Be Open For Spectators For Liftoff

The redundantly named Playalinda Beach (playa – beach, linda – beautiful in Spanish) offers some of the closest public viewing locations for launches from Kennedy Space Center and the north end of Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, but that will definitely not the case for Artemis II’s launch.

Not only will Playalinda be closed, but if Artemis I in 2022 serves as any guide, much of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge will be in the official security zone and the public will have no access, with KSC Police turning away unauthorized cars at the entrance to the Refuge (near the end of the Max Brewer Bridge on Beach Road.) On the north side, on FL-3, the Haulover Bridge was as far south as people were allowed.