Tourism officials on Florida's Space Coast say huge crowds are expected to descend on the area's beaches and causeways to watch Wednesday's planned historic rocket launch from Kennedy Space Center, despite the coronavirus pandemic.

"We know many people are still holding off on travel, but anticipate that this historic launch will still draw hundreds of thousands of people," a spokesperson for Visit Space Coast, the tourism marketing organization in Brevard County where the space center is located, told weather.com in an email Friday.

The much-anticipated launch of SpaceX's Crew Dragon carrying two U.S. astronauts to the International Space Station is currently scheduled for 4:33 p.m. Wednesday, if the weather clears. As of Tuesday evening, the forecast shows scattered afternoon thunderstorms could cause the launch to be pushed back. The next window of opportunity is Saturday.

The launch will be the first time astronauts take off from U.S. soil since the space shuttle program shut down in 2011.

Both President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence plan to attend.

(MORE: Crew Dragon Current Launch Forecast)

Visit Space Coast is welcoming rocket fans with open arms, hoping they'll bring a boost to the county's tourism industry after an estimated $1 billion hit from the lack of visitors during the coronavirus pandemic.

But the "come one, come all" message is counter to pleas from the head of NASA, who last month asked spectators to watch the launch on television or online rather than crowding in to public areas.

"We are asking people to join us in this launch. But do so from home. We're asking people not to travel to the Kennedy Space Center," NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine told reporters during a teleconference, Florida Today reported. "When we (launch) to space from the Kennedy Space Center, it draws huge crowds and that is not right now what we're trying to do."

Bridenstine said in a press conference Tuesday that the space center would normally be packed with people, but that wasn't possible during the coronavirus pandemic.

Florida has more than 50,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to the state health department, and more than 2,200 deaths.

Before the coronavirus pandemic complicated matters, as many as 500,000 people were expected to travel to Brevard County for the launch.

The economy in Brevard County, located about an hour east of Orlando, depends on the space program and tourism, and the two often go hand in hand. Visitors flock to the county's 72 miles of Atlantic Ocean beaches to watch rockets fly into space. Tens of thousands packed in elbow-to-elbow for SpaceX's first-ever launch of the Falcon Heavy rocket in February 2018, and large crowds gathered again last year for a second Falcon Heavy launch. Many popular viewing spots are packed with crowds even during more routine launches.

Usually, a limited number of tickets are available to view launches from the space center itself. But on-site launch viewing isn't being offered during the pandemic.

Bridenstine said it's up to state and local officials to determine how to handle crowds around the space center on launch day, SpaceFlight Now reported.

All of Brevard County's beaches and parking areas recently reopened for full capacity. The entire state is under a loosely defined phase one reopening order, which allows restaurants to operate at 50% capacity but bars remain closed.

"We're going to have to figure out what we'll do with the arrival of masses of people to our county during a pandemic or at least the rebound from one," Brevard County communications director Don Walker told Florida Today last month.

Walker told CNN: "We know there's a lot of excitement about returning humans to spaceflight, and we're proud that it's happening here in our county — but everyone is safer at home right now."

He added that people who do venture to the area for the launch should expect "a headache and a half."

Peter Cranis, executive director of Visit Space Coast, told weather.com that visitors should follow any social distancing guidelines and restrictions still in place at the time of the launch.

"The space industry has been a pillar of our economy and tourism for decades, and with every milestone mission we see an influx of visitors," Cranis said in an emailed statement Friday. "We encourage visitors to follow guidelines set by state and local government and if current orders are updated allowing tourists to stay in our hotels, we would welcome people to do that while abiding by all the guidance given by the Department of Health and CDC."

A local company that owns several beachside souvenir shops donated 20,000 face masks to be distributed to those gathered for the launch.

The local sheriff, responsible for crowd control on many of the county's beaches and roadways, will help hand them out.

“I’m not going to tell Americans they can’t watch a great piece of history," Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey told The Associated Press last week."

For the latest coronavirus information in your county and a full list of important resources to help you make the smartest decisions regarding the disease, check out our dedicated COVID-19 page.

The Weather Company’s primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.