Ariane 62 Metop-SG B1 — launch date, time, visibility & where to look
Second of EUMETSAT's second generation of Metop weather satellites.
Countdown to liftoff
Targeting December 2026 — the exact date and time are not set yet. Launch dates firm up close to the attempt; set a free alert below to get the final time.
Launch time
- Dec 31, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC
- Dec 30, 2026, 7:00 PM Eastern
- Dec 30, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific
This launch time is not yet confirmed. Rocket launches often slip by hours or days for weather, technical checks, or range scheduling; treat the time above as a target and re-check close to the date.
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Sky outlook at the pad
Daily cloud cover and rain chance at Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana (liftoff is still beyond the 7-day forecast window):
- Today
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
Forecast at the launch site; check your own sky too: cloud over you can hide a launch the pad forecast says is clear.
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Visibility map: how far away can you see it?
Each ring shows how far away Ariane 62 is line-of-sight visible that many seconds into flight: about 89 miles by T+30s, 192 miles by T+60s, and roughly 305 miles by T+90s. City dots are colored by the expected view quality; the table below has the direction to look from each.
Which cities can see this launch?
Estimated visibility from major towns near US launch sites, assuming clear skies and an open horizon. The 10 most likely first:
| City | Visibility | Look toward | Distance to pad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miami, FL | Not visible | — | 2299 mi |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Not visible | — | 2311 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2329 mi |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Not visible | — | 2367 mi |
| Fort Pierce, FL | Not visible | — | 2372 mi |
| Vero Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2383 mi |
| Sebastian, FL | Not visible | — | 2394 mi |
| Palm Bay, FL | Not visible | — | 2409 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 2409 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 2412 mi |
Show all 94 cities
| City | Visibility | Look toward | Distance to pad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2415 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2421 mi |
| Port Canaveral, FL | Not visible | — | 2425 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 2427 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 2428 mi |
| Titusville, FL | Not visible | — | 2443 mi |
| Mims, FL | Not visible | — | 2446 mi |
| Kissimmee, FL | Not visible | — | 2460 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2466 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 2468 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 2473 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 2477 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2478 mi |
| Tampa, FL | Not visible | — | 2499 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 2502 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 2520 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 2555 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 2559 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 2581 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 2581 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 2583 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 2594 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 2603 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 2630 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 2641 mi |
| Valdosta, GA | Not visible | — | 2653 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 2653 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 2660 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 2660 mi |
| Wallops Island, VA | Not visible | — | 2664 mi |
| Chincoteague, VA | Not visible | — | 2667 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 2668 mi |
| Ocean City, MD | Not visible | — | 2680 mi |
| Pocomoke City, MD | Not visible | — | 2681 mi |
| Berlin, MD | Not visible | — | 2683 mi |
| Tallahassee, FL | Not visible | — | 2686 mi |
| Salisbury, MD | Not visible | — | 2698 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 2701 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 2708 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 2716 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 2718 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 2739 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 2761 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 2772 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 2776 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 2782 mi |
| Pensacola Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2826 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 2852 mi |
| Grand Isle, LA | Not visible | — | 2940 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Not visible | — | 3261 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Not visible | — | 3263 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Not visible | — | 3269 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Not visible | — | 3276 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Not visible | — | 3277 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Not visible | — | 3279 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Not visible | — | 3294 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Not visible | — | 3295 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Not visible | — | 3298 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Not visible | — | 3313 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Not visible | — | 3326 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Not visible | — | 3429 mi |
| San Diego, CA | Not visible | — | 4538 mi |
| Long Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 4609 mi |
| Pasadena, CA | Not visible | — | 4611 mi |
| Los Angeles, CA | Not visible | — | 4615 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Not visible | — | 4623 mi |
| Malibu, CA | Not visible | — | 4640 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Not visible | — | 4650 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Not visible | — | 4670 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Not visible | — | 4674 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Not visible | — | 4677 mi |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Not visible | — | 4701 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Not visible | — | 4728 mi |
| Buellton, CA | Not visible | — | 4731 mi |
| Fresno, CA | Not visible | — | 4732 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Not visible | — | 4737 mi |
| Lompoc, CA | Not visible | — | 4747 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Not visible | — | 4748 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Not visible | — | 4748 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Not visible | — | 4748 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Not visible | — | 4756 mi |
| Pismo Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 4762 mi |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Not visible | — | 4764 mi |
| San Jose, CA | Not visible | — | 4854 mi |
Where to look
A rocket lifts off below the horizon for distant viewers, then climbs into view as it gains altitude and flies downrange. Closer to the pad you'll see it within seconds; a few hundred miles away it can take three to six minutes to rise over the horizon. Find an open view in the direction shown for your city and start watching at liftoff.
Official launch details More from Arianespace ↗
Before you go
- Launch times change: scrubs and delays are common. Re-check the day of.
- Clear skies matter. Low cloud near the pad or along the trajectory can hide the rocket.
- Twilight launches are the most dramatic; daytime launches are the hardest to see at distance.
- Trajectory and timing here are estimates from a representative ascent profile.
Ariane 62 Metop-SG B1 launch FAQ
When is the Ariane 62 Metop-SG B1 launch date and time?
Ariane 62 Metop-SG B1 is currently targeting Dec 31, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC / Dec 30, 2026, 7:00 PM Eastern / Dec 30, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific. Status: To Be Determined. Launch dates slip often; the countdown on this page tracks the latest target, or set a free alert to get the final time.
Where does Ariane 62 Metop-SG B1 launch from?
From Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana, operated by Arianespace. If you are within a few hundred miles, the city-by-city table on this page shows the expected view from your area and which direction to look.
How far away can you see the Ariane 62 Metop-SG B1 launch?
Roughly 305 miles with clear skies: within about 89 miles of the pad the rocket clears the horizon in the first half-minute, and by T+90 seconds it is high enough to be line-of-sight visible around 305 miles away. Night launches can be visible even farther as the exhaust plume catches sunlight. The visibility map on this page shows the range rings and which cities fall inside them.
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Explore more
Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated August 30, 2026.