Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 2 Transport Layer D — visibility, launch time & where to look

Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 2 Transport Layer.

Rocket: Falcon 9 Block 5
Provider: SpaceX
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	east-northeast	6 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL	Excellent	north-northeast	11 mi
Merritt Island, FL	Excellent	northeast	12 mi
Rockledge, FL	Excellent	east-northeast	15 mi
Satellite Beach, FL	Excellent	north	20 mi
Titusville, FL	Excellent	east-southeast	20 mi
Mims, FL	Excellent	southeast	24 mi
Indialantic, FL	Excellent	north	26 mi
Melbourne, FL	Excellent	north	27 mi
Palm Bay, FL	Excellent	north	30 mi
Sebastian, FL	Excellent	north	44 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	46 mi
Sanford, FL	Excellent	east-southeast	51 mi
Orlando, FL	Excellent	east	52 mi
Kissimmee, FL	Excellent	east-northeast	55 mi
Vero Beach, FL	Excellent	north	57 mi
Daytona Beach, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	60 mi
Fort Pierce, FL	Excellent	north	71 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL	Excellent	north	83 mi
Palm Coast, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	88 mi
Lakeland, FL	Excellent	east-northeast	91 mi
St. Augustine, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	110 mi
Tampa, FL	Excellent	east-northeast	123 mi
West Palm Beach, FL	Excellent	north-northwest	124 mi
Gainesville, FL	Excellent	southeast	136 mi
Jacksonville, FL	Excellent	south-southeast	146 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL	Excellent	north	163 mi
Miami, FL	Excellent	north	188 mi
Brunswick, GA	Excellent	south-southeast	195 mi
Valdosta, GA	Excellent	southeast	233 mi
Savannah, GA	Excellent	south	252 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC	Excellent	south	260 mi
Tallahassee, FL	Good	east-southeast	264 mi
Charleston, SC	Excellent	south	301 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC	Excellent	south-southwest	374 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL	Good	east-southeast	418 mi
Gulf Shores, AL	Good	east	449 mi
Grand Isle, LA	Fair	east	576 mi
Norfolk, VA	Good	south-southwest	630 mi
Virginia Beach, VA	Good	south-southwest	637 mi
Newport News, VA	Good	south-southwest	641 mi
Richmond, VA	Good	south-southwest	652 mi
Cape Charles, VA	Good	south-southwest	662 mi
Exmore, VA	Good	south-southwest	683 mi
Onancock, VA	Good	south-southwest	696 mi
Wallops Island, VA	Good	south-southwest	714 mi
Chincoteague, VA	Good	south-southwest	719 mi
Pocomoke City, MD	Good	south-southwest	723 mi
Salisbury, MD	Good	south-southwest	741 mi
Berlin, MD	Good	south-southwest	747 mi
Washington, DC	Good	south-southwest	749 mi
Ocean City, MD	Good	south-southwest	751 mi
Annapolis, MD	Good	south-southwest	763 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE	Good	south-southwest	775 mi
Baltimore, MD	Good	south-southwest	781 mi
Cape May, NJ	Good	south-southwest	793 mi
Dover, DE	Good	south-southwest	793 mi
Ocean City, NJ	Good	south-southwest	822 mi
Philadelphia, PA	Good	south-southwest	851 mi
Rockport, TX	Not visible	—	1005 mi
Port Aransas, TX	Not visible	—	1007 mi
Corpus Christi, TX	Not visible	—	1028 mi
South Padre Island, TX	Not visible	—	1034 mi
Port Isabel, TX	Not visible	—	1037 mi
Laguna Vista, TX	Not visible	—	1041 mi
Bayview, TX	Not visible	—	1048 mi
Los Fresnos, TX	Not visible	—	1053 mi
Brownsville, TX	Not visible	—	1057 mi
Harlingen, TX	Not visible	—	1065 mi
McAllen, TX	Not visible	—	1097 mi
Laredo, TX	Not visible	—	1159 mi
San Diego, CA	Not visible	—	2188 mi
Pasadena, CA	Not visible	—	2242 mi
Mojave, CA	Not visible	—	2244 mi
Long Beach, CA	Not visible	—	2245 mi
Los Angeles, CA	Not visible	—	2248 mi
Malibu, CA	Not visible	—	2274 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA	Not visible	—	2282 mi
Bakersfield, CA	Not visible	—	2293 mi
Oxnard, CA	Not visible	—	2302 mi
Ventura, CA	Not visible	—	2308 mi
Santa Barbara, CA	Not visible	—	2331 mi
Fresno, CA	Not visible	—	2337 mi
Solvang, CA	Not visible	—	2356 mi
Buellton, CA	Not visible	—	2359 mi
Los Alamos, CA	Not visible	—	2363 mi
Santa Maria, CA	Not visible	—	2372 mi
Orcutt, CA	Not visible	—	2373 mi
Lompoc, CA	Not visible	—	2374 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA	Not visible	—	2375 mi
Guadalupe, CA	Not visible	—	2380 mi
Pismo Beach, CA	Not visible	—	2384 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA	Not visible	—	2385 mi
San Jose, CA	Not visible	—	2456 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.