Long March 12A Flight 2 — launch date, time, visibility & where to look

Name: Long March 12A | Flight 2
Start: 2026-10
Location: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China

Second test launch of CASC/SAST’s Long March 12A rocket. Payload identities are TBD.

Rocket: Long March 12A
Provider: China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation
Launch site: Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Status: To Be Determined

Countdown to liftoff

Targeting October 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

October 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?

Each ring shows how far away Long March 12A 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.

Long March 12A | Flight 2 visibility range: each ring marks how far away the rocket is above the horizon that many seconds after liftoff, out to about 305 miles at T+90s. Rings are line-of-sight geometry from a representative ascent profile, centered on the pad — the rocket also travels downrange, stretching views along its track, and night launches are often visible well beyond the outer ring. Assumes clear skies and an open horizon.

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	—	6412 mi
Fresno, CA	Not visible	—	6506 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA	Not visible	—	6569 mi
Pismo Beach, CA	Not visible	—	6578 mi
Guadalupe, CA	Not visible	—	6590 mi
Santa Maria, CA	Not visible	—	6596 mi
Orcutt, CA	Not visible	—	6601 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA	Not visible	—	6609 mi
Bakersfield, CA	Not visible	—	6609 mi
Los Alamos, CA	Not visible	—	6613 mi

Show all 94 cities

City	Visibility	Look toward	Distance to pad
Lompoc, CA	Not visible	—	6613 mi
Buellton, CA	Not visible	—	6623 mi
Solvang, CA	Not visible	—	6625 mi
Santa Barbara, CA	Not visible	—	6648 mi
Mojave, CA	Not visible	—	6651 mi
Ventura, CA	Not visible	—	6668 mi
Oxnard, CA	Not visible	—	6676 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA	Not visible	—	6687 mi
Malibu, CA	Not visible	—	6699 mi
Pasadena, CA	Not visible	—	6707 mi
Los Angeles, CA	Not visible	—	6710 mi
Long Beach, CA	Not visible	—	6729 mi
San Diego, CA	Not visible	—	6821 mi
Philadelphia, PA	Not visible	—	6844 mi
Ocean City, NJ	Not visible	—	6888 mi
Baltimore, MD	Not visible	—	6893 mi
Dover, DE	Not visible	—	6899 mi
Cape May, NJ	Not visible	—	6912 mi
Annapolis, MD	Not visible	—	6914 mi
Washington, DC	Not visible	—	6920 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE	Not visible	—	6928 mi
Ocean City, MD	Not visible	—	6954 mi
Salisbury, MD	Not visible	—	6955 mi
Berlin, MD	Not visible	—	6956 mi
Pocomoke City, MD	Not visible	—	6975 mi
Chincoteague, VA	Not visible	—	6984 mi
Wallops Island, VA	Not visible	—	6989 mi
Onancock, VA	Not visible	—	7000 mi
Exmore, VA	Not visible	—	7013 mi
Richmond, VA	Not visible	—	7016 mi
Cape Charles, VA	Not visible	—	7031 mi
Newport News, VA	Not visible	—	7045 mi
Virginia Beach, VA	Not visible	—	7060 mi
Norfolk, VA	Not visible	—	7061 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC	Not visible	—	7283 mi
Charleston, SC	Not visible	—	7347 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC	Not visible	—	7385 mi
Savannah, GA	Not visible	—	7394 mi
Brunswick, GA	Not visible	—	7458 mi
Valdosta, GA	Not visible	—	7476 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL	Not visible	—	7494 mi
Gulf Shores, AL	Not visible	—	7495 mi
Tallahassee, FL	Not visible	—	7500 mi
Jacksonville, FL	Not visible	—	7514 mi
Laredo, TX	Not visible	—	7545 mi
St. Augustine, FL	Not visible	—	7545 mi
Grand Isle, LA	Not visible	—	7547 mi
Rockport, TX	Not visible	—	7549 mi
Corpus Christi, TX	Not visible	—	7558 mi
Gainesville, FL	Not visible	—	7560 mi
Port Aransas, TX	Not visible	—	7561 mi
Palm Coast, FL	Not visible	—	7567 mi
Daytona Beach, FL	Not visible	—	7593 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL	Not visible	—	7605 mi
Sanford, FL	Not visible	—	7621 mi
Mims, FL	Not visible	—	7631 mi
Titusville, FL	Not visible	—	7634 mi
Orlando, FL	Not visible	—	7639 mi
Port Canaveral, FL	Not visible	—	7648 mi
Merritt Island, FL	Not visible	—	7652 mi
McAllen, TX	Not visible	—	7653 mi
Rockledge, FL	Not visible	—	7653 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL	Not visible	—	7655 mi
Kissimmee, FL	Not visible	—	7656 mi
Harlingen, TX	Not visible	—	7662 mi
Satellite Beach, FL	Not visible	—	7664 mi
Bayview, TX	Not visible	—	7670 mi
Indialantic, FL	Not visible	—	7670 mi
Melbourne, FL	Not visible	—	7671 mi
Lakeland, FL	Not visible	—	7672 mi
Los Fresnos, TX	Not visible	—	7673 mi
Laguna Vista, TX	Not visible	—	7674 mi
Palm Bay, FL	Not visible	—	7675 mi
South Padre Island, TX	Not visible	—	7676 mi
Port Isabel, TX	Not visible	—	7677 mi
Tampa, FL	Not visible	—	7677 mi
Brownsville, TX	Not visible	—	7684 mi
Sebastian, FL	Not visible	—	7689 mi
Vero Beach, FL	Not visible	—	7702 mi
Fort Pierce, FL	Not visible	—	7715 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL	Not visible	—	7727 mi
West Palm Beach, FL	Not visible	—	7766 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL	Not visible	—	7807 mi
Miami, FL	Not visible	—	7832 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.

Long March 12A Flight 2 launch FAQ

When is the Long March 12A Flight 2 launch date and time?

Long March 12A Flight 2 (often written Long March 12A 2) is currently targeting October 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 12A Flight 2 launch from?

From Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center, 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 12A Flight 2 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 September 23, 2026.