Falcon 9 Block 5 USSF-xxx ("R-5") — launch date, time, visibility & where to look
A classified mission for the United States Space Force. It is possibly a batch of classified LEO satellites based on SpaceX’s Starshield satellite bus, based on locations of rocket stage drop zones being exact fits with previous Starlink Group 15 launches.
Countdown to liftoff
Targeting Nov 9, 2026, 10:03 PM Eastern · Nov 10, 2026, 3:03 AM UTC
Launch time
- Nov 10, 2026, 3:03 AM UTC
- Nov 9, 2026, 10:03 PM Eastern
- Nov 9, 2026, 7:03 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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Sky outlook at the pad
Daily cloud cover and rain chance at Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA (liftoff is still beyond the 7-day forecast window):
- Today
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Forecast at the launch site; check your own sky too: cloud over you can hide a launch the pad forecast says is clear.
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Visibility map: how far away can you see it?
The shaded zones show where Falcon 9 Block 5 is expected to be visible, following its modeled southeast flight path rather than a simple circle around the pad — a fair-or-better view reaches roughly 2400 miles out over land. Within about 89 miles the rocket clears the horizon in the first half-minute; by T+90s it is line-of-sight from roughly 305 miles. City dots are colored by the expected view quality; the table below has the direction to look from each.
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:
| City | Visibility | Look toward | Distance to pad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lompoc, CA | Excellent | west | 9 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Excellent | southwest | 10 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Excellent | south-southwest | 19 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Excellent | west-southwest | 21 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Excellent | south | 23 mi |
| Buellton, CA | Excellent | west | 24 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Excellent | south-southwest | 24 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Excellent | west | 27 mi |
| Pismo Beach, CA | Excellent | south | 35 mi |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Excellent | south | 45 mi |
Show all 94 cities
| City | Visibility | Look toward | Distance to pad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Barbara, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 54 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 79 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 87 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Excellent | west-southwest | 103 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 106 mi |
| Malibu, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 117 mi |
| Los Angeles, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 141 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Excellent | west-southwest | 141 mi |
| Pasadena, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 145 mi |
| Long Beach, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 151 mi |
| Fresno, CA | Good | south-southwest | 153 mi |
| San Jose, CA | Good | south-southeast | 200 mi |
| San Diego, CA | Excellent | northwest | 238 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Marginal | west | 1339 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Marginal | west | 1446 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Marginal | west | 1451 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Marginal | west | 1460 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Marginal | west | 1464 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Marginal | west | 1480 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Marginal | west | 1496 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Marginal | west | 1498 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Marginal | west | 1501 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Marginal | west | 1505 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Marginal | west | 1511 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Marginal | west | 1512 mi |
| Grand Isle, LA | Not visible | — | 1826 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 1934 mi |
| Pensacola Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 1964 mi |
| Tallahassee, FL | Not visible | — | 2125 mi |
| Valdosta, GA | Not visible | — | 2173 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 2253 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 2268 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 2273 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 2276 mi |
| Tampa, FL | Not visible | — | 2285 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 2290 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 2305 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 2312 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 2318 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 2326 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 2332 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 2332 mi |
| Kissimmee, FL | Not visible | — | 2337 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2337 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2346 mi |
| Mims, FL | Not visible | — | 2360 mi |
| Titusville, FL | Not visible | — | 2363 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 2369 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 2374 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 2376 mi |
| Port Canaveral, FL | Not visible | — | 2379 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2381 mi |
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2386 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 2387 mi |
| Palm Bay, FL | Not visible | — | 2390 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 2390 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 2398 mi |
| Sebastian, FL | Not visible | — | 2402 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 2407 mi |
| Vero Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2410 mi |
| Fort Pierce, FL | Not visible | — | 2419 mi |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Not visible | — | 2422 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 2427 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 2435 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2455 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 2455 mi |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Not visible | — | 2466 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 2468 mi |
| Miami, FL | Not visible | — | 2473 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 2478 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 2485 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 2486 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 2486 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 2487 mi |
| Salisbury, MD | Not visible | — | 2489 mi |
| Pocomoke City, MD | Not visible | — | 2493 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 2498 mi |
| Chincoteague, VA | Not visible | — | 2505 mi |
| Wallops Island, VA | Not visible | — | 2505 mi |
| Berlin, MD | Not visible | — | 2509 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 2513 mi |
| Ocean City, MD | Not visible | — | 2517 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 2520 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 2535 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.
Falcon 9 Block 5 USSF-xxx ("R-5") launch FAQ
When is the Falcon 9 Block 5 USSF-xxx ("R-5") launch date and time?
Falcon 9 Block 5 USSF-xxx ("R-5") is currently targeting Nov 10, 2026, 3:03 AM UTC / Nov 9, 2026, 10:03 PM Eastern / Nov 9, 2026, 7:03 PM Pacific. Status: To Be Confirmed. 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 USSF-xxx ("R-5") launch from?
From Vandenberg SFB, CA, 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 USSF-xxx ("R-5") 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 viewing map on this page shows the expected zones along the flight path and which cities fall inside them.
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Explore more
Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated October 29, 2026.