Epsilon S | JV-LOTUSat-1 — visibility, launch time & where to look
Vietnamese Synthetic Aperture Radar Earth observation satellite build by NEC Corporation of Japan, based on Japan's ASNARO 2 satellite and the NEXTAR NX-300L satellite bus. The satellite will contribute to measures against natural disasters and climate change in Vietnam.
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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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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | Not visible | — | 5760 mi |
| Fresno, CA | Not visible | — | 5879 mi |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Not visible | — | 5897 mi |
| Pismo Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 5904 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Not visible | — | 5914 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Not visible | — | 5921 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Not visible | — | 5924 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Not visible | — | 5929 mi |
| Lompoc, CA | Not visible | — | 5932 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Not visible | — | 5937 mi |
| Buellton, CA | Not visible | — | 5946 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Not visible | — | 5949 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Not visible | — | 5969 mi |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Not visible | — | 5976 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Not visible | — | 6001 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Not visible | — | 6009 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Not visible | — | 6020 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Not visible | — | 6026 mi |
| Malibu, CA | Not visible | — | 6038 mi |
| Los Angeles, CA | Not visible | — | 6059 mi |
| Pasadena, CA | Not visible | — | 6059 mi |
| Long Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 6073 mi |
| San Diego, CA | Not visible | — | 6164 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Not visible | — | 7185 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 7238 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 7249 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Not visible | — | 7257 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Not visible | — | 7260 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 7263 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Not visible | — | 7269 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 7271 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 7281 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 7293 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Not visible | — | 7305 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 7307 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 7318 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Not visible | — | 7328 mi |
| Salisbury, MD | Not visible | — | 7330 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 7340 mi |
| Berlin, MD | Not visible | — | 7340 mi |
| Ocean City, MD | Not visible | — | 7342 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Not visible | — | 7343 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Not visible | — | 7343 mi |
| Pocomoke City, MD | Not visible | — | 7349 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Not visible | — | 7349 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Not visible | — | 7351 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Not visible | — | 7354 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Not visible | — | 7354 mi |
| Chincoteague, VA | Not visible | — | 7362 mi |
| Wallops Island, VA | Not visible | — | 7366 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 7367 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 7377 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 7389 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 7390 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 7410 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 7417 mi |
| Grand Isle, LA | Not visible | — | 7462 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 7484 mi |
| Pensacola Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7498 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 7543 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 7571 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 7582 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 7583 mi |
| Tallahassee, FL | Not visible | — | 7584 mi |
| Valdosta, GA | Not visible | — | 7592 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 7626 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 7671 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 7692 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 7707 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 7729 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7757 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7770 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 7774 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 7786 mi |
| Tampa, FL | Not visible | — | 7788 mi |
| Mims, FL | Not visible | — | 7795 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 7799 mi |
| Titusville, FL | Not visible | — | 7799 mi |
| Kissimmee, FL | Not visible | — | 7801 mi |
| Port Canaveral, FL | Not visible | — | 7817 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 7818 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 7818 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7823 mi |
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7832 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 7837 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 7838 mi |
| Palm Bay, FL | Not visible | — | 7841 mi |
| Sebastian, FL | Not visible | — | 7857 mi |
| Vero Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7870 mi |
| Fort Pierce, FL | Not visible | — | 7884 mi |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Not visible | — | 7894 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7937 mi |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Not visible | — | 7969 mi |
| Miami, FL | Not visible | — | 7990 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.
More from Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency ↗
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 June 13, 2026.