Firefly Alpha Block 2 | VICTUS HAZE Jackal — visibility, launch time & where to look

True Anomaly’s Jackal Autonomous Orbital Vehicle (AOV) will support U.S. Space Force Space Systems Command’s VICTUS HAZE Tactically Responsive Space (TacRS) mission with operations in orbit proximity with another spacecraft built by Rocket Lab National Security. The spacecraft, once completed, will remain on call until the U.S. Space Force provides the notice to launch. The Firefly team will then have 24 hours to transport the payload fairing to the pad, mate the fairing to the Alpha rocket, fuel the rocket, and launch within the first available window.

Rocket: Firefly Alpha Block 2
Provider: Firefly Aerospace
Launch site: Vandenberg SFB, CA, USA
Status: To Be Determined

Launch time

Sep 30, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC
Sep 29, 2026, 8:00 PM Eastern
Sep 29, 2026, 5:00 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
Vandenberg Village, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	9 mi
Lompoc, CA	Excellent	northwest	12 mi
Orcutt, CA	Excellent	southwest	13 mi
Guadalupe, CA	Excellent	south-southwest	15 mi
Santa Maria, CA	Excellent	southwest	17 mi
Los Alamos, CA	Excellent	west	20 mi
Buellton, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	27 mi
Pismo Beach, CA	Excellent	south	27 mi
Solvang, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	29 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA	Excellent	south	36 mi
Santa Barbara, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	57 mi
Ventura, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	83 mi
Oxnard, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	91 mi
Bakersfield, CA	Good	west-southwest	100 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	109 mi
Malibu, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	121 mi
Mojave, CA	Good	west	140 mi
Los Angeles, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	144 mi
Fresno, CA	Good	south-southwest	145 mi
Pasadena, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	147 mi
Long Beach, CA	Excellent	west-northwest	155 mi
San Jose, CA	Good	south-southeast	192 mi
San Diego, CA	Excellent	northwest	244 mi
Laredo, TX	Not visible	—	1342 mi
Corpus Christi, TX	Not visible	—	1449 mi
McAllen, TX	Not visible	—	1454 mi
Rockport, TX	Not visible	—	1462 mi
Port Aransas, TX	Not visible	—	1467 mi
Harlingen, TX	Not visible	—	1483 mi
Los Fresnos, TX	Not visible	—	1499 mi
Bayview, TX	Not visible	—	1501 mi
Brownsville, TX	Not visible	—	1504 mi
Laguna Vista, TX	Not visible	—	1509 mi
Port Isabel, TX	Not visible	—	1514 mi
South Padre Island, TX	Not visible	—	1515 mi
Grand Isle, LA	Not visible	—	1827 mi
Gulf Shores, AL	Not visible	—	1935 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL	Not visible	—	1965 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	—	2286 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC	Not visible	—	2289 mi
St. Augustine, FL	Not visible	—	2305 mi
Lakeland, FL	Not visible	—	2313 mi
Palm Coast, FL	Not visible	—	2318 mi
Charleston, SC	Not visible	—	2325 mi
Sanford, FL	Not visible	—	2333 mi
Orlando, FL	Not visible	—	2333 mi
Daytona Beach, FL	Not visible	—	2337 mi
Kissimmee, FL	Not visible	—	2337 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL	Not visible	—	2347 mi
Mims, FL	Not visible	—	2361 mi
Titusville, FL	Not visible	—	2363 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC	Not visible	—	2368 mi
Rockledge, FL	Not visible	—	2375 mi
Merritt Island, FL	Not visible	—	2376 mi
Port Canaveral, FL	Not visible	—	2379 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL	Not visible	—	2382 mi
Satellite Beach, FL	Not visible	—	2387 mi
Melbourne, FL	Not visible	—	2388 mi
Palm Bay, FL	Not visible	—	2390 mi
Indialantic, FL	Not visible	—	2391 mi
Richmond, VA	Not visible	—	2396 mi
Sebastian, FL	Not visible	—	2402 mi
Washington, DC	Not visible	—	2404 mi
Vero Beach, FL	Not visible	—	2411 mi
Fort Pierce, FL	Not visible	—	2420 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL	Not visible	—	2423 mi
Baltimore, MD	Not visible	—	2424 mi
Annapolis, MD	Not visible	—	2433 mi
Newport News, VA	Not visible	—	2453 mi
West Palm Beach, FL	Not visible	—	2456 mi
Norfolk, VA	Not visible	—	2466 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL	Not visible	—	2467 mi
Miami, FL	Not visible	—	2474 mi
Cape Charles, VA	Not visible	—	2476 mi
Virginia Beach, VA	Not visible	—	2483 mi
Dover, DE	Not visible	—	2483 mi
Exmore, VA	Not visible	—	2484 mi
Onancock, VA	Not visible	—	2485 mi
Salisbury, MD	Not visible	—	2486 mi
Pocomoke City, MD	Not visible	—	2491 mi
Philadelphia, PA	Not visible	—	2495 mi
Chincoteague, VA	Not visible	—	2503 mi
Wallops Island, VA	Not visible	—	2503 mi
Berlin, MD	Not visible	—	2507 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE	Not visible	—	2511 mi
Ocean City, MD	Not visible	—	2515 mi
Cape May, NJ	Not visible	—	2518 mi
Ocean City, NJ	Not visible	—	2532 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.