Next: Amazon Leo (LV-01), Fri, Nov 13, 12:54 pm EST.
A Vulcan VC6L from Space Launch Complex 41, Cape Canaveral SFS. Daytime launch (Sun 42° up at the pad): you see the rocket and its trail only from nearby.
Daylight Daytime launch (Sun 42° up at the pad): you see the rocket and its trail only from nearby.
Source updated 3 Nov 2026, 17:22 UTC
Daylight Daytime launch (Sun 36° up at the pad): you see the rocket and its trail only from nearby.
Source updated 4 Nov 2026, 20:05 UTC
A rocket is above your horizon once it climbs higher than the height in the chart, which grows with your distance from the pads. Rockets heading to orbit pass 100 km within the first few minutes of flight, so from most cities below the rocket is high enough to see on a clear night, low over the horizon toward the pads. Trees, buildings and haze near the horizon block the lowest views.
| City | Distance to the pads | Look toward | Rocket must be higher than |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville FL | 223 km (138 mi) | south-southeast | 4 km |
| Charlotte NC | 742 km (461 mi) | south | 43 km |
| Atlanta GA | 681 km (423 mi) | south-southeast | 37 km |
| Miami FL | 312 km (194 mi) | north | 8 km |
| Raleigh NC | 822 km (511 mi) | south-southwest | 53 km |
| Tampa FL | 197 km (122 mi) | east-northeast | 3 km |
| Orlando FL | 78 km (49 mi) | east | under 1 km |
| Greensboro NC | 838 km (521 mi) | south | 56 km |
| Durham NC | 841 km (523 mi) | south-southwest | 56 km |
| St. Petersburg FL | 224 km (139 mi) | east-northeast | 4 km |
| Winston-Salem NC | 839 km (521 mi) | south | 56 km |
| Hialeah FL | 302 km (188 mi) | north | 7 km |
| Huntsville AL | 891 km (553 mi) | southeast | 63 km |
| Columbus GA | 605 km (376 mi) | southeast | 29 km |
Distance from the city centre to Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center (28.56°, -80.58°); geometric horizon on a sphere of 6,371 km, for a rocket straight above the pads. Real rockets fly downrange, which can bring them higher in some directions and lower in others.
| When | Mission and rocket | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Tue, Oct 20, 7:04 am EDT | Bandwagon 5 (Dedicated Mid-Inclination Rideshare) Falcon 9 Block 5 · Cape Canaveral SFS | Launch Successful |
| Tue, Oct 13, 6:33 am EDT | Dragon CRS-2 SpX-35 Falcon 9 Block 5 · Cape Canaveral SFS | Launch Successful |
| Thu, Oct 1, 11:54 pm EDT | NROL-97 Falcon Heavy · Kennedy Space Center | Launch Successful |
| Thu, Oct 1, 11:10 am EDT | Crew-13 Falcon 9 Block 5 · Cape Canaveral SFS | Launch Successful |
| Sun, Sep 13, 2:49 pm EDT | O3b mPower 11-13 Falcon 9 Block 5 · Cape Canaveral SFS | Launch Successful |
| Sun, Aug 30, 7:26 am EDT | Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Falcon Heavy · Kennedy Space Center | Launch Successful |
| Tue, Aug 25, 5:33 am EDT | Starlink Group 10-49 Falcon 9 Block 5 · Cape Canaveral SFS | Launch Successful |
| Fri, Aug 21, 11:14 am EDT | Starlink Group 10-39 Falcon 9 Block 5 · Cape Canaveral SFS | Launch Successful |
| Expected | Mission and rocket | Launch site |
|---|---|---|
| December 2026 (no firm date) | Blue Ring-1 New Glenn | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| Q4 2026 | Dream Chaser CRS 2 Flight 1 Vulcan VC4L | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | BlueBird Block 2 New Glenn | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | USSF-23 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | Intelsat-1 Terran R | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | VICTUS SURGO Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | SDA Tranche 2 Tracking Layer B Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | USSF-75 Falcon Heavy | Kennedy Space Center |
| 2026 (no firm date) | USSF-57 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | Mars Lander Terran R | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | SILENTBARKER 2/NROL-118 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| Q4 2026 | BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | USSF-43 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | WGS-11 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | Owlet-01 Unknown Launch Vehicle | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | NROL-64 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| December 2026 (no firm date) | SDA Tranche 2 Transport Layer D Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| Second half of 2026 | Globalstar 2-R Mission 2 (x 9) Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| Q4 2026 | CHORUS Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | USSF-31 Falcon 9 Block 5 | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | USSF-16 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | Amazon Leo (LN-01) New Glenn | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | VCLS Demo 2 Mission One Unknown Launch Vehicle | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | NROL-109 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
| 2026 (no firm date) | NROL-56 Vulcan | Cape Canaveral SFS |
At the last update (5 Nov 2026, 00:20 UTC), the next Florida launch was Amazon Leo (LV-01) (Vulcan VC6L), Fri, Nov 13, 12:54 pm EST, status: Go for Launch.
Yes, on a clear night: Jacksonville is 223 km from the pads, so the rocket is above your horizon once it is about 4 km up. Look toward the south-southeast.
Geometry allows a lot: Huntsville, 891 km away, has the rocket above its horizon once it is about 63 km up. In practice night and twilight launches are seen from several hundred kilometres away; daytime launches mostly from within about 100 km.
When the Sun has set at the pad but is less than 18° below the horizon, the rocket's exhaust high up can still be in sunlight while the ground is dark. That is when the glowing, spreading plume is seen from far away.
Schedule: Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs, fetched 5 Nov 2026, 00:20 UTC (); this page is rebuilt every 6 hours. Launch times move often, sometimes minutes before liftoff: check the launch provider's own channels on the day. Sky at liftoff and distances are computed by us.