Long March 10A Demo Flight — launch date, time, visibility & where to look
First test launch of CASC/CALT’s Long March 10A rocket. Payload is expected to be a prototype of the Low Earth Orbit mission version of the Mengzhou crew spacecraft.
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
- December 2026 — exact date and time not announced yet
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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Visibility map: how far away can you see it?
The shaded zones show where Long March 10A is expected to be visible, following its modeled northeast flight path rather than a simple circle around the pad — a fair-or-better view reaches roughly 2600 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | Not visible | — | 7214 mi |
| Fresno, CA | Not visible | — | 7330 mi |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Not visible | — | 7357 mi |
| Pismo Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 7365 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Not visible | — | 7375 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Not visible | — | 7382 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Not visible | — | 7386 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Not visible | — | 7391 mi |
| Lompoc, CA | Not visible | — | 7394 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Not visible | — | 7398 mi |
Show all 94 cities
| City | Visibility | Look toward | Distance to pad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buellton, CA | Not visible | — | 7408 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Not visible | — | 7410 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Not visible | — | 7424 mi |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Not visible | — | 7437 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Not visible | — | 7462 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Not visible | — | 7470 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Not visible | — | 7475 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Not visible | — | 7486 mi |
| Malibu, CA | Not visible | — | 7498 mi |
| Pasadena, CA | Not visible | — | 7517 mi |
| Los Angeles, CA | Not visible | — | 7517 mi |
| Long Beach, CA | Not visible | — | 7532 mi |
| San Diego, CA | Not visible | — | 7625 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 8303 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 8338 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 8352 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 8355 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 8360 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 8361 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 8374 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 8388 mi |
| Salisbury, MD | Not visible | — | 8409 mi |
| Ocean City, MD | Not visible | — | 8414 mi |
| Berlin, MD | Not visible | — | 8414 mi |
| Pocomoke City, MD | Not visible | — | 8429 mi |
| Chincoteague, VA | Not visible | — | 8440 mi |
| Wallops Island, VA | Not visible | — | 8445 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 8451 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 8453 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 8464 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 8481 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 8490 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 8507 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 8510 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Not visible | — | 8596 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Not visible | — | 8651 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Not visible | — | 8653 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Not visible | — | 8662 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 8698 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Not visible | — | 8716 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Not visible | — | 8735 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 8747 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Not visible | — | 8748 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Not visible | — | 8749 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Not visible | — | 8754 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Not visible | — | 8758 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Not visible | — | 8758 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Not visible | — | 8759 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 8773 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 8776 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 8778 mi |
| Pensacola Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8783 mi |
| Grand Isle, LA | Not visible | — | 8784 mi |
| Valdosta, GA | Not visible | — | 8826 mi |
| Tallahassee, FL | Not visible | — | 8834 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 8834 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 8886 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 8920 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 8921 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 8943 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8971 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8984 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 8994 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 9010 mi |
| Mims, FL | Not visible | — | 9010 mi |
| Titusville, FL | Not visible | — | 9014 mi |
| Kissimmee, FL | Not visible | — | 9026 mi |
| Port Canaveral, FL | Not visible | — | 9030 mi |
| Tampa, FL | Not visible | — | 9031 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 9033 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 9033 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 9034 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 9037 mi |
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 9046 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 9053 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 9053 mi |
| Palm Bay, FL | Not visible | — | 9056 mi |
| Sebastian, FL | Not visible | — | 9072 mi |
| Vero Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 9085 mi |
| Fort Pierce, FL | Not visible | — | 9099 mi |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Not visible | — | 9111 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 9153 mi |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Not visible | — | 9191 mi |
| Miami, FL | Not visible | — | 9214 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 from China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation ↗
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.
Long March 10A Demo Flight launch FAQ
When is the Long March 10A Demo Flight launch date and time?
Long March 10A Demo Flight is currently targeting December 2026 — the exact date and time have not been announced yet. 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 Long March 10A Demo Flight launch from?
From Wenchang Space Launch Site, People's Republic of China, operated by China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation. 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 Long March 10A Demo Flight 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.
More upcoming launches
- Long March 12 | SatNet LEO Group TBD? · Tomorrow
- Long March 2D | Unknown Payload · In 4 days
- Long March 8A | SatNet LEO Group TBD? · In 13 days
- Long March 12 | SatNet LEO Group TBD? · In 2 weeks
- Long March 2F/G | Shenzhou 24 · In 3 weeks
- Long March 12A | Flight 2 · In 8 weeks
- Ariane 62 | Metop-SG B1 · In 8 weeks
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | CHORUS · In 8 weeks
Explore more
Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated November 7, 2026.