Firefly Alpha | Stairway to Seven — launch recap & visibility
Firefly Alpha's Flight 7 is a test flight and return-To-Flight for the launch vehicle after its April 2025 launch failure. It will test and validate key systems ahead of Firefly’s Block II configuration upgrade on Flight 8 that’s designed to enhance reliability and manufacturability across the vehicle. Flight 7 is the last flown in Alpha’s current configuration and will test multiple Block II subsystems, including the in-house avionics and thermal improvements, to gain flight heritage and validate lessons learned ahead of the full configuration upgrade on Flight 8. This launch also delivered a demonstrator payload for Lockheed Martin.
Liftoff time
- Mar 12, 2026, 12:50 AM UTC
- Mar 11, 2026, 8:50 PM Eastern
- Mar 11, 2026, 5:50 PM Pacific
Which cities could see this launch?
Estimated visibility from major towns near US launch sites, assuming clear skies and an open horizon at the time of liftoff:
| 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 | Marginal | west | 1342 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Marginal | west | 1449 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Marginal | west | 1454 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Marginal | west | 1462 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Marginal | west | 1467 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Marginal | west | 1483 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Marginal | west | 1499 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Marginal | west | 1501 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Marginal | west | 1504 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Marginal | west | 1509 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Marginal | west | 1514 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Marginal | west | 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.
More upcoming launches
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- Firefly Alpha Block 2 | VICTUS HAZE Jackal — In 17 weeks
- Firefly Alpha Block 2 | INCUS — In 21 weeks
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-43 — Today
- Long March 6A | Unknown Payload — Today
- Long March 8 | Unknown Payload — Tomorrow
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-43 — In 3 days
- South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV | Demo Flight — In 4 days
Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated June 4, 2026.