H3-22 ETS-9 — launch date, time, visibility & where to look
The Engineering Test Satellite 9 (ETS-9) is a JAXA project aimed to develop an advanced satellite bus, or common model, for various high-throughput satellites (HTS) for communications. The new satellite bus by Mitsubishi Electric will focus specifically on advanced communication needs: - Up to 25kW of power to support HTS communications - Light mass, all-electric bus system achieved with 6kW high-power Hall thrusters (Japan-made). - High-power Hall thrusters significantly shorten delivery of orbiting satellite compared to other manufacturer’s 4.5kW-class electric-propulsion bus systems - The first Japanese geostationary satellite equipped with GPS receivers (Japan-made) for laborsaving autonomous orbital transfer and orbital maneuvering.
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
- 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.
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Sky outlook at the pad
Daily cloud cover and rain chance at Tanegashima Space Center, Japan (liftoff is still beyond the 7-day forecast window):
- Today
- Mon
- Tue
- Wed
- Thu
- Fri
- Sat
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?
Each ring shows how far away H3-22 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | Not visible | — | 5802 mi |
| Fresno, CA | Not visible | — | 5922 mi |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Not visible | — | 5939 mi |
| Pismo Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 5946 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Not visible | — | 5956 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Not visible | — | 5963 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Not visible | — | 5966 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Not visible | — | 5971 mi |
| Lompoc, CA | Not visible | — | 5974 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Not visible | — | 5979 mi |
Show all 94 cities
| City | Visibility | Look toward | Distance to pad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buellton, CA | Not visible | — | 5988 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Not visible | — | 5990 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Not visible | — | 6011 mi |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Not visible | — | 6018 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Not visible | — | 6043 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Not visible | — | 6051 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Not visible | — | 6063 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Not visible | — | 6068 mi |
| Malibu, CA | Not visible | — | 6080 mi |
| Los Angeles, CA | Not visible | — | 6101 mi |
| Pasadena, CA | Not visible | — | 6101 mi |
| Long Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 6114 mi |
| San Diego, CA | Not visible | — | 6205 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Not visible | — | 7231 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 7295 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Not visible | — | 7304 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 7306 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Not visible | — | 7307 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Not visible | — | 7316 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 7320 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 7328 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 7338 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 7350 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Not visible | — | 7351 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 7365 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Not visible | — | 7374 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 7375 mi |
| Salisbury, MD | Not visible | — | 7387 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Not visible | — | 7389 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Not visible | — | 7389 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Not visible | — | 7396 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 7396 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Not visible | — | 7397 mi |
| Berlin, MD | Not visible | — | 7397 mi |
| Ocean City, MD | Not visible | — | 7399 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Not visible | — | 7400 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Not visible | — | 7401 mi |
| Pocomoke City, MD | Not visible | — | 7406 mi |
| Chincoteague, VA | Not visible | — | 7419 mi |
| Wallops Island, VA | Not visible | — | 7423 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 7424 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 7434 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 7446 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 7447 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 7466 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 7473 mi |
| Grand Isle, LA | Not visible | — | 7512 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 7536 mi |
| Pensacola Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7551 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 7599 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 7626 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 7636 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 7638 mi |
| Tallahassee, FL | Not visible | — | 7638 mi |
| Valdosta, GA | Not visible | — | 7646 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 7681 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 7725 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 7745 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 7761 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 7783 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7811 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7824 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 7828 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 7840 mi |
| Tampa, FL | Not visible | — | 7842 mi |
| Mims, FL | Not visible | — | 7849 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 7852 mi |
| Titusville, FL | Not visible | — | 7853 mi |
| Kissimmee, FL | Not visible | — | 7854 mi |
| Port Canaveral, FL | Not visible | — | 7871 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 7872 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 7872 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7877 mi |
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7886 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 7891 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 7892 mi |
| Palm Bay, FL | Not visible | — | 7895 mi |
| Sebastian, FL | Not visible | — | 7911 mi |
| Vero Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7924 mi |
| Fort Pierce, FL | Not visible | — | 7937 mi |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Not visible | — | 7947 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 7990 mi |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Not visible | — | 8023 mi |
| Miami, FL | Not visible | — | 8043 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.
H3-22 ETS-9 launch FAQ
When is the H3-22 ETS-9 launch date and time?
H3-22 ETS-9 is currently targeting Dec 31, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC / Dec 30, 2026, 7:00 PM Eastern / Dec 30, 2026, 4:00 PM Pacific. 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 H3-22 ETS-9 launch from?
From Tanegashima Space Center, Japan, operated by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. 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 H3-22 ETS-9 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 August 30, 2026.