MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. — Visitors are already starting to arrive on the Space Coast for Wednesday’s launch around the moon. It has businesses cashing in.
Brenda Mulberry is seeing a boost in business at her store called Space Shirts as the launch approaches. “We’ve literally printed more than 50,000 shirts of this Artemis II.” She says she’s feeling a mix of emotions. “It’s apprehension and anticipation, a little bit, because we’ve been here through the good launches, and we’ve been here through the bad launches.”
Customer Timothy Knox remembers watching the first trip to the moon years ago. “I was 11 years old vacationing in Ocean City, Maryland, when I saw the first moonwalk on a black-and-white television. It was a huge thrill. It’s a great thrill now.”
Analyst John Boyd of The Boyd Company says he expects around 400,000 people to watch the launch, including watch parties around Central Florida. “The vast majority, of course, about 70%, will be Floridians. There will also be a 25% national and 5% global component.” He tells us having a Canadian on board the rocket helps attract those global visitors. Fourteen hotels are already sold out, proving space can launch its own type of customer.
“It’s a really unique asset that Florida has above and beyond the beaches and Disney World.”
Back at the store, visitors are already looking to shop for space souvenirs. Tourist Orie Knox says, “Looking for probably a T-shirt or two, and then I always get a postcard for my mom to send to her.” Mulberry says customers come from far away. “All over the country. Oh my gosh. People come from Germany, you know, out of the country, out in the world. It’s all over the place.”
Day passes to Jetty Park are sold out for Wednesday’s launch.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.