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Falcon 9 Block 5 BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) — launch date, time, visibility & where to look

AST SpaceMobile’s Block 2 BlueBird satellites are designed to deliver up to 10 times the bandwidth capacity of the BlueBird Block 1 satellites, required to achieve 24/7 continuous cellular broadband service coverage in the United States, with beams designed to support a capacity of up to 40 MHz, enabling peak data transmission speeds up to 120 Mbps, supporting voice, full data and video applications. The Block 2 BlueBirds, featuring as large as 2400 square foot communications arrays, will be the largest satellites ever commercially deployed in Low Earth orbit once launched. This launch will feature 3 satellites.

Falcon 9 Block 5 on the pad
Rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5
Provider
SpaceX
Launch site
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Status
To Be Determined

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

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 Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (liftoff is still beyond the 7-day forecast window):

  • Today 18% cloud 12% rain
  • Fri 33% cloud 47% rain
  • Sat 60% cloud 65% rain
  • Sun 51% cloud 50% rain
  • Mon 37% cloud 54% rain
  • Tue 31% cloud 36% rain
  • Wed 30% cloud 39% rain

Forecast at the launch site; check your own sky too: cloud over you can hide a launch the pad forecast says is clear.

Pro members get an hour-of-liftoff go/no-go call (cloud, wind, rain chance and visibility) in the launch finder. Pro · $19.99/yr

Visibility map: how far away can you see it?

Each ring shows how far away Falcon 9 Block 5 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.

N ↑ T+90s T+75s T+60s T+45s T+30s T+15s Orlando, FL — 49 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Orlando Tampa, FL — 122 mi from the pad · good view expected Tampa Jacksonville, FL — 138 mi from the pad · good view expected Jacksonville Miami, FL — 195 mi from the pad · good view expected Miami Melbourne, FL — 33 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Melbourne Daytona Beach, FL — 52 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Daytona Beach Vero Beach, FL — 65 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Vero Beach Fort Pierce, FL — 78 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Fort Pierce Port St. Lucie, FL — 90 mi from the pad · good view expected Port St. Lucie West Palm Beach, FL — 132 mi from the pad · good view expected West Palm Beach Fort Lauderdale, FL — 171 mi from the pad · good view expected Fort Lauderdale St. Augustine, FL — 102 mi from the pad · good view expected St. Augustine Space Launch Complex 40
Falcon 9 Block 5 | BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) visibility range: each ring marks how far away the rocket is above the horizon that many seconds after liftoff, out to about 305 miles at T+90s. Rings are line-of-sight geometry from a representative ascent profile, centered on the pad — the rocket also travels downrange, stretching views along its track, and night launches are often visible well beyond the outer ring. Assumes clear skies and an open horizon.

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:

CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Port Canaveral, FL Excellent north-northeast 11 mi
Titusville, FL Excellent east-southeast 15 mi
Merritt Island, FL Excellent north-northeast 16 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL Excellent north 17 mi
Mims, FL Excellent east-southeast 17 mi
Rockledge, FL Excellent north-northeast 18 mi
Satellite Beach, FL Excellent north 26 mi
Indialantic, FL Excellent north 33 mi
Melbourne, FL Excellent north 33 mi
Palm Bay, FL Excellent north 37 mi
Show all 94 cities
CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
New Smyrna Beach, FL Excellent south-southeast 39 mi
Sanford, FL Excellent east-southeast 45 mi
Orlando, FL Excellent east 49 mi
Sebastian, FL Excellent north 52 mi
Daytona Beach, FL Excellent south-southeast 52 mi
Kissimmee, FL Excellent east-northeast 54 mi
Vero Beach, FL Excellent north 65 mi
Fort Pierce, FL Excellent north 78 mi
Palm Coast, FL Excellent south-southeast 80 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL Good north 90 mi
Lakeland, FL Good east-northeast 91 mi
St. Augustine, FL Good south-southeast 102 mi
Tampa, FL Good east-northeast 122 mi
Gainesville, FL Good southeast 129 mi
West Palm Beach, FL Good north-northwest 132 mi
Jacksonville, FL Good south-southeast 138 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL Good north 171 mi
Brunswick, GA Good south-southeast 187 mi
Miami, FL Good north 195 mi
Valdosta, GA Fair southeast 226 mi
Savannah, GA Good south 245 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC Good south 253 mi
Tallahassee, FL Fair east-southeast 258 mi
Charleston, SC Good south 294 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC Good south-southwest 368 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL Marginal east-southeast 413 mi
Gulf Shores, AL Marginal east 444 mi
Norfolk, VA Fair south-southwest 624 mi
Virginia Beach, VA Fair south-southwest 632 mi
Newport News, VA Fair south-southwest 635 mi
Richmond, VA Fair south-southwest 646 mi
Cape Charles, VA Fair south-southwest 657 mi
Exmore, VA Fair south-southwest 678 mi
Onancock, VA Fair south-southwest 691 mi
Wallops Island, VA Fair south-southwest 709 mi
Chincoteague, VA Fair south-southwest 713 mi
Pocomoke City, MD Fair south-southwest 717 mi
Salisbury, MD Fair south-southwest 735 mi
Berlin, MD Fair south-southwest 741 mi
Washington, DC Marginal south-southwest 743 mi
Ocean City, MD Fair south-southwest 746 mi
Annapolis, MD Fair south-southwest 757 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE Fair south-southwest 769 mi
Baltimore, MD Marginal south-southwest 775 mi
Cape May, NJ Fair south-southwest 787 mi
Dover, DE Fair south-southwest 787 mi
Ocean City, NJ Fair south-southwest 816 mi
Philadelphia, PA Fair south-southwest 845 mi
Grand Isle, LA Not visible — 572 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 — 1035 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 — 1156 mi
San Diego, CA Not visible — 2183 mi
Pasadena, CA Not visible — 2237 mi
Mojave, CA Not visible — 2239 mi
Long Beach, CA Not visible — 2240 mi
Los Angeles, CA Not visible — 2243 mi
Malibu, CA Not visible — 2268 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA Not visible — 2277 mi
Bakersfield, CA Not visible — 2287 mi
Oxnard, CA Not visible — 2296 mi
Ventura, CA Not visible — 2303 mi
Santa Barbara, CA Not visible — 2326 mi
Fresno, CA Not visible — 2332 mi
Solvang, CA Not visible — 2351 mi
Buellton, CA Not visible — 2353 mi
Los Alamos, CA Not visible — 2358 mi
Santa Maria, CA Not visible — 2367 mi
Orcutt, CA Not visible — 2367 mi
Lompoc, CA Not visible — 2369 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA Not visible — 2369 mi
Guadalupe, CA Not visible — 2375 mi
Pismo Beach, CA Not visible — 2378 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA Not visible — 2380 mi
San Jose, CA Not visible — 2450 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.

10° 33° T+10s T+5m 10s
From Port Canaveral, FL: rises T+10s in the NNE, peaks 33°.
10° 34° T+10s T+5m 10s NE E
From Titusville, FL: rises T+10s in the ESE, peaks 34°.
10° 31° T+10s T+5m 10s NE
From Merritt Island, FL: rises T+10s in the NNE, peaks 31°.

More from SpaceX ↗

Before you go

Falcon 9 Block 5 BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) launch FAQ

When is the Falcon 9 Block 5 BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) launch date and time?

Falcon 9 Block 5 BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) is currently targeting December 2026 — the exact date and time have not been announced yet. 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 Falcon 9 Block 5 BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) launch from?

From Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA, operated by SpaceX. 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 Falcon 9 Block 5 BlueBird 14-16 (Block 2 #9-11) 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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Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated October 15, 2026.