Long March 5 | Chang'e 7 — visibility, launch time & where to look
Chang'e 7/CE-7 is scheduled to launch in 2026, including an orbiter, a lander, a mini-hopping probe, and a rover. The mission will land in the South Pole regions of the Moon to study lunar surface environment around the South Pole, especially in looking for water ice in lunar soil.
Launch time
- Aug 31, 2026, 12:00 AM UTC
- Aug 30, 2026, 8:00 PM Eastern
- Aug 30, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | — | 7364 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Not visible | — | 7375 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Not visible | — | 7382 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Not visible | — | 7385 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Not visible | — | 7390 mi |
| Lompoc, CA | Not visible | — | 7394 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Not visible | — | 7398 mi |
| Buellton, CA | Not visible | — | 7407 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Not visible | — | 7410 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Not visible | — | 7424 mi |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Not visible | — | 7437 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Not visible | — | 7461 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Not visible | — | 7469 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Not visible | — | 7474 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Not visible | — | 7485 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 | — | 7624 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 8303 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 8338 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 8352 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 8354 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 8360 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 8360 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 8373 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 8387 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 | — | 8444 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 8450 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 8452 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 8464 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 8480 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 8489 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 8507 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 8509 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Not visible | — | 8596 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Not visible | — | 8651 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Not visible | — | 8652 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Not visible | — | 8662 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 8697 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Not visible | — | 8715 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Not visible | — | 8734 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 8746 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 | — | 8758 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 8773 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 8775 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 8777 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 | — | 8833 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 8834 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 8886 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 8920 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 8920 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 8943 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8970 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 8984 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 8994 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 9009 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 | — | 9030 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 9032 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 9033 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 9033 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 9036 mi |
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 9046 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 9052 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 9052 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 | — | 9110 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 9152 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.
More upcoming launches
- Long March 2F/G | Shenzhou 23 — Tomorrow
- Long March 7A | Unknown Payload — In 3 days
- Long March 12B | Demo Flight — In 5 weeks
- Long March 10B | Demo Flight — In 5 weeks
- Long March 2F/G | Shenzhou 24 — In 32 weeks
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-47 — In 2 days
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-37 — In 3 days
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-53 — In 6 days
Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated May 23, 2026.