NASA’s Artemis 2 moon launch drew 346,000 visitors to northern Brevard County, according to data released by the Space Coast Office of Tourism on May 7, 2026. The number exceeds the population of Honolulu, Hawaii, and shattered the previous record of 226,000 visitors set during the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission in November 2022. The Space Coast Office of Tourism used cellular device-tracking software to estimate the crowds, though the actual number was likely higher due to untracked international visitors, children, and local residents.
The 10-day Artemis 2 mission sent four astronauts—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, and Christina Koch of NASA, and Jeremy Hansen of the Canadian Space Agency—on a historic journey around the moon. It marked the first crewed mission beyond Earth orbit since Apollo 17 in 1972. The mission’s launch and landing events drew crowds to Cape Canaveral and nearby areas, with visitors spending an average of $462 each over two days, according to tourism surveys and cellular data analysis.
Tourism officials emphasized that the 346,000 figure only tracks adults using cellular devices outside Brevard County. The data excludes international phone users, people without phones, and local residents. A statement from the office said the tracking method "does not include international phone carriers, children, people without phones, phones that were off or Brevard County residents." The actual number of people attending the event could be significantly higher.
The Artemis 2 campaign had a major economic impact, with visitors spending roughly $160 million in the region during the 10-day period. Tourism officials said the event highlighted the Space Coast’s role as a global hub for space exploration, though they noted the figures are preliminary and based on extrapolations from cellular data and separate surveys.