Atlas V N22 | Starliner-2 — visibility, launch time & where to look

Starliner-2 is the second crewed operational flight of a Starliner spacecraft to the International Space Station as part of NASA's Commercial Crew Program.

Rocket: Atlas V N22
Provider: United Launch Alliance
Launch site: Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Status: To Be Determined

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.

Which cities can see this launch?

Estimated visibility from major towns near US launch sites, assuming clear skies and an open horizon:

City	Visibility	Look toward	Distance to pad
Port Canaveral, FL	Excellent	north	12 mi
Titusville, FL	Excellent	east	14 mi
Mims, FL	Excellent	east-southeast	16 mi
Merritt Island, FL	Excellent	north-northeast	17 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL	Excellent	north	18 mi
Rockledge, FL	Excellent	north-northeast	19 mi
Satellite Beach, FL	Excellent	north	28 mi
Indialantic, FL	Excellent	north	34 mi
Melbourne, FL	Excellent	north	35 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL	Excellent	southeast	37 mi
Palm Bay, FL	Excellent	north	38 mi
Sanford, FL	Excellent	east-southeast	44 mi
Orlando, FL	Excellent	east	48 mi
Daytona Beach, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	51 mi
Sebastian, FL	Excellent	north	53 mi
Kissimmee, FL	Excellent	east-northeast	54 mi
Vero Beach, FL	Excellent	north	66 mi
Palm Coast, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	79 mi
Fort Pierce, FL	Excellent	north	80 mi
Lakeland, FL	Excellent	east-northeast	91 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL	Excellent	north	92 mi
St. Augustine, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	101 mi
Tampa, FL	Excellent	east-northeast	122 mi
Gainesville, FL	Excellent	southeast	128 mi
West Palm Beach, FL	Excellent	north-northwest	133 mi
Jacksonville, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	137 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL	Excellent	north	172 mi
Brunswick, GA	Good	south-southeast	185 mi
Miami, FL	Excellent	north	197 mi
Valdosta, GA	Excellent	southeast	224 mi
Savannah, GA	Good	south	243 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC	Good	south	251 mi
Tallahassee, FL	Good	east-southeast	257 mi
Charleston, SC	Good	south	293 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC	Good	south-southwest	367 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL	Fair	east	412 mi
Gulf Shores, AL	Fair	east	443 mi
Norfolk, VA	Good	south-southwest	623 mi
Virginia Beach, VA	Good	south-southwest	631 mi
Newport News, VA	Good	south-southwest	634 mi
Richmond, VA	Good	south-southwest	645 mi
Cape Charles, VA	Good	south-southwest	656 mi
Exmore, VA	Good	south-southwest	677 mi
Onancock, VA	Good	south-southwest	690 mi
Wallops Island, VA	Good	south-southwest	707 mi
Chincoteague, VA	Good	south-southwest	712 mi
Pocomoke City, MD	Good	south-southwest	716 mi
Salisbury, MD	Good	south-southwest	734 mi
Berlin, MD	Good	south-southwest	740 mi
Washington, DC	Fair	south-southwest	742 mi
Ocean City, MD	Good	south-southwest	745 mi
Annapolis, MD	Good	south-southwest	756 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE	Good	south-southwest	768 mi
Baltimore, MD	Fair	south-southwest	774 mi
Cape May, NJ	Good	south-southwest	786 mi
Dover, DE	Good	south-southwest	786 mi
Ocean City, NJ	Good	south-southwest	815 mi
Philadelphia, PA	Good	south-southwest	844 mi
Grand Isle, LA	Not visible	—	571 mi
Rockport, TX	Not visible	—	1002 mi
Port Aransas, TX	Not visible	—	1004 mi
Corpus Christi, TX	Not visible	—	1025 mi
South Padre Island, TX	Not visible	—	1032 mi
Port Isabel, TX	Not visible	—	1034 mi
Laguna Vista, TX	Not visible	—	1039 mi
Bayview, TX	Not visible	—	1046 mi
Los Fresnos, TX	Not visible	—	1051 mi
Brownsville, TX	Not visible	—	1055 mi
Harlingen, TX	Not visible	—	1062 mi
McAllen, TX	Not visible	—	1094 mi
Laredo, TX	Not visible	—	1155 mi
San Diego, CA	Not visible	—	2182 mi
Pasadena, CA	Not visible	—	2236 mi
Mojave, CA	Not visible	—	2238 mi
Long Beach, CA	Not visible	—	2239 mi
Los Angeles, CA	Not visible	—	2242 mi
Malibu, CA	Not visible	—	2268 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA	Not visible	—	2276 mi
Bakersfield, CA	Not visible	—	2286 mi
Oxnard, CA	Not visible	—	2295 mi
Ventura, CA	Not visible	—	2302 mi
Santa Barbara, CA	Not visible	—	2325 mi
Fresno, CA	Not visible	—	2331 mi
Solvang, CA	Not visible	—	2350 mi
Buellton, CA	Not visible	—	2353 mi
Los Alamos, CA	Not visible	—	2357 mi
Santa Maria, CA	Not visible	—	2366 mi
Orcutt, CA	Not visible	—	2367 mi
Lompoc, CA	Not visible	—	2368 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA	Not visible	—	2368 mi
Guadalupe, CA	Not visible	—	2374 mi
Pismo Beach, CA	Not visible	—	2378 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA	Not visible	—	2379 mi
San Jose, CA	Not visible	—	2449 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.

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.

More upcoming launches

Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated May 23, 2026.