LVM-3 | Gaganyaan-1 — visibility, launch time & where to look

First uncrewed orbital test flight of the Gaganyaan capsule.

Rocket: Launch Vehicle Mark-3 (GSLV Mk III)
Provider: Indian Space Research Organization
Launch site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, India
Status: To Be Determined

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.

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
Philadelphia, PA	Not visible	—	8406 mi
Ocean City, NJ	Not visible	—	8431 mi
Cape May, NJ	Not visible	—	8460 mi
Dover, DE	Not visible	—	8463 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE	Not visible	—	8478 mi
Baltimore, MD	Not visible	—	8482 mi
Annapolis, MD	Not visible	—	8498 mi
Ocean City, MD	Not visible	—	8501 mi
Berlin, MD	Not visible	—	8506 mi
Salisbury, MD	Not visible	—	8513 mi
Washington, DC	Not visible	—	8516 mi
Pocomoke City, MD	Not visible	—	8530 mi
Chincoteague, VA	Not visible	—	8534 mi
Wallops Island, VA	Not visible	—	8538 mi
Onancock, VA	Not visible	—	8557 mi
Exmore, VA	Not visible	—	8570 mi
Cape Charles, VA	Not visible	—	8591 mi
Richmond, VA	Not visible	—	8610 mi
Newport News, VA	Not visible	—	8613 mi
Virginia Beach, VA	Not visible	—	8615 mi
Norfolk, VA	Not visible	—	8623 mi
San Jose, CA	Not visible	—	8627 mi
Fresno, CA	Not visible	—	8715 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA	Not visible	—	8785 mi
Pismo Beach, CA	Not visible	—	8795 mi
Guadalupe, CA	Not visible	—	8807 mi
Santa Maria, CA	Not visible	—	8812 mi
Orcutt, CA	Not visible	—	8817 mi
Bakersfield, CA	Not visible	—	8819 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA	Not visible	—	8826 mi
Los Alamos, CA	Not visible	—	8829 mi
Lompoc, CA	Not visible	—	8830 mi
Buellton, CA	Not visible	—	8839 mi
Solvang, CA	Not visible	—	8841 mi
Mojave, CA	Not visible	—	8858 mi
Santa Barbara, CA	Not visible	—	8862 mi
Ventura, CA	Not visible	—	8882 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC	Not visible	—	8884 mi
Oxnard, CA	Not visible	—	8889 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA	Not visible	—	8899 mi
Malibu, CA	Not visible	—	8910 mi
Pasadena, CA	Not visible	—	8916 mi
Los Angeles, CA	Not visible	—	8920 mi
Long Beach, CA	Not visible	—	8939 mi
Charleston, SC	Not visible	—	8967 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC	Not visible	—	9022 mi
San Diego, CA	Not visible	—	9029 mi
Savannah, GA	Not visible	—	9040 mi
Brunswick, GA	Not visible	—	9108 mi
Jacksonville, FL	Not visible	—	9164 mi
Valdosta, GA	Not visible	—	9170 mi
St. Augustine, FL	Not visible	—	9182 mi
Palm Coast, FL	Not visible	—	9199 mi
Tallahassee, FL	Not visible	—	9217 mi
Daytona Beach, FL	Not visible	—	9218 mi
Gainesville, FL	Not visible	—	9223 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL	Not visible	—	9227 mi
Mims, FL	Not visible	—	9247 mi
Titusville, FL	Not visible	—	9250 mi
Sanford, FL	Not visible	—	9250 mi
Port Canaveral, FL	Not visible	—	9257 mi
Merritt Island, FL	Not visible	—	9262 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL	Not visible	—	9262 mi
Rockledge, FL	Not visible	—	9264 mi
Orlando, FL	Not visible	—	9269 mi
Satellite Beach, FL	Not visible	—	9270 mi
Indialantic, FL	Not visible	—	9275 mi
Melbourne, FL	Not visible	—	9277 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL	Not visible	—	9280 mi
Palm Bay, FL	Not visible	—	9280 mi
Kissimmee, FL	Not visible	—	9285 mi
Sebastian, FL	Not visible	—	9289 mi
Gulf Shores, AL	Not visible	—	9295 mi
Vero Beach, FL	Not visible	—	9298 mi
Fort Pierce, FL	Not visible	—	9308 mi
Lakeland, FL	Not visible	—	9315 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL	Not visible	—	9320 mi
Tampa, FL	Not visible	—	9333 mi
West Palm Beach, FL	Not visible	—	9346 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL	Not visible	—	9384 mi
Grand Isle, LA	Not visible	—	9398 mi
Miami, FL	Not visible	—	9408 mi
Rockport, TX	Not visible	—	9547 mi
Port Aransas, TX	Not visible	—	9560 mi
Corpus Christi, TX	Not visible	—	9564 mi
Laredo, TX	Not visible	—	9588 mi
Harlingen, TX	Not visible	—	9676 mi
McAllen, TX	Not visible	—	9677 mi
Bayview, TX	Not visible	—	9679 mi
South Padre Island, TX	Not visible	—	9680 mi
Laguna Vista, TX	Not visible	—	9681 mi
Port Isabel, TX	Not visible	—	9682 mi
Los Fresnos, TX	Not visible	—	9683 mi
Brownsville, TX	Not visible	—	9695 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.

More upcoming launches

Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated May 23, 2026.