Electron | BlackSky Gen-3 9 — visibility, launch time & where to look
BlackSky Gen-3 Earth-imaging satellites
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lompoc, CA | Not visible | — | 6446 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Not visible | — | 6449 mi |
| Buellton, CA | Not visible | — | 6455 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Not visible | — | 6457 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Not visible | — | 6458 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Not visible | — | 6458 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Not visible | — | 6459 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Not visible | — | 6463 mi |
| Pismo Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 6464 mi |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Not visible | — | 6465 mi |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Not visible | — | 6471 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Not visible | — | 6473 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Not visible | — | 6474 mi |
| San Diego, CA | Not visible | — | 6482 mi |
| Malibu, CA | Not visible | — | 6486 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Not visible | — | 6486 mi |
| Long Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 6492 mi |
| Los Angeles, CA | Not visible | — | 6504 mi |
| Pasadena, CA | Not visible | — | 6513 mi |
| San Jose, CA | Not visible | — | 6529 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Not visible | — | 6539 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Not visible | — | 6556 mi |
| Fresno, CA | Not visible | — | 6578 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Not visible | — | 7032 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Not visible | — | 7038 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Not visible | — | 7061 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Not visible | — | 7064 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Not visible | — | 7070 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Not visible | — | 7075 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Not visible | — | 7080 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Not visible | — | 7083 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Not visible | — | 7086 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Not visible | — | 7147 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Not visible | — | 7164 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Not visible | — | 7173 mi |
| Grand Isle, LA | Not visible | — | 7568 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 7721 mi |
| Pensacola Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7752 mi |
| Tampa, FL | Not visible | — | 7898 mi |
| Tallahassee, FL | Not visible | — | 7899 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 7927 mi |
| Miami, FL | Not visible | — | 7932 mi |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Not visible | — | 7948 mi |
| Valdosta, GA | Not visible | — | 7964 mi |
| Kissimmee, FL | Not visible | — | 7964 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 7968 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7975 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 7975 mi |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Not visible | — | 7980 mi |
| Fort Pierce, FL | Not visible | — | 7988 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 7990 mi |
| Vero Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7992 mi |
| Sebastian, FL | Not visible | — | 7995 mi |
| Palm Bay, FL | Not visible | — | 7996 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 7997 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 8000 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 8001 mi |
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8002 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 8004 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8006 mi |
| Titusville, FL | Not visible | — | 8007 mi |
| Mims, FL | Not visible | — | 8007 mi |
| Port Canaveral, FL | Not visible | — | 8009 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8016 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8018 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 8022 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 8027 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 8029 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 8065 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 8119 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 8141 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 8202 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 8285 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 8483 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 8516 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 8518 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 8533 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 8544 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 8545 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 8562 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 8571 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 8573 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 8577 mi |
| Pocomoke City, MD | Not visible | — | 8591 mi |
| Wallops Island, VA | Not visible | — | 8593 mi |
| Chincoteague, VA | Not visible | — | 8596 mi |
| Salisbury, MD | Not visible | — | 8598 mi |
| Berlin, MD | Not visible | — | 8615 mi |
| Ocean City, MD | Not visible | — | 8623 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 8626 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 8634 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 8649 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 8666 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 8675 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.
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Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated May 23, 2026.