Minotaur IV | STP-S29A — launch recap & visibility
STP-S29A is a mission under the U.S. Department of Defense's Space Test Program (STP) that will deliver technology demonstrations to orbit and contribute to future space system development, with this launch delivering up to 200 kg of STP cubesats to Low Earth Orbit. The main payload will be STPSat-7, an ESPA class satellite based on the Aegis Aerospace M-1 satellite bus used on the STPSat-4 mission for hosting research and technology demonstration payloads for the Department of Defense (DoD). One of the payload is U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Lightsheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation (LARADO) instrument, used to detect and characterize lethal non-trackable orbital debris with lasers in orbit.
Liftoff time
- Apr 7, 2026, 11:33 AM UTC
- Apr 7, 2026, 7:33 AM Eastern
- Apr 7, 2026, 4:33 AM Pacific
Which cities could see this launch?
Estimated visibility from major towns near US launch sites, assuming clear skies and an open horizon at the time of liftoff:
| City | Visibility | Look toward | Distance to pad |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lompoc, CA | Excellent | west-southwest | 11 mi |
| Vandenberg Village, CA | Excellent | southwest | 13 mi |
| Orcutt, CA | Excellent | south-southwest | 22 mi |
| Los Alamos, CA | Excellent | west-southwest | 23 mi |
| Buellton, CA | Excellent | west | 25 mi |
| Guadalupe, CA | Excellent | south | 27 mi |
| Solvang, CA | Excellent | west | 28 mi |
| Santa Maria, CA | Excellent | south-southwest | 28 mi |
| Pismo Beach, CA | Excellent | south | 39 mi |
| San Luis Obispo, CA | Excellent | south | 49 mi |
| Santa Barbara, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 54 mi |
| Ventura, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 79 mi |
| Oxnard, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 87 mi |
| Thousand Oaks, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 106 mi |
| Bakersfield, CA | Excellent | west-southwest | 106 mi |
| Malibu, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 117 mi |
| Los Angeles, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 141 mi |
| Mojave, CA | Excellent | west-southwest | 143 mi |
| Pasadena, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 145 mi |
| Long Beach, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 150 mi |
| Fresno, CA | Good | south-southwest | 157 mi |
| San Jose, CA | Good | south-southeast | 203 mi |
| San Diego, CA | Excellent | west-northwest | 237 mi |
| Laredo, TX | Marginal | west | 1339 mi |
| Corpus Christi, TX | Marginal | west | 1447 mi |
| McAllen, TX | Marginal | west | 1451 mi |
| Rockport, TX | Marginal | west-southwest | 1460 mi |
| Port Aransas, TX | Marginal | west | 1465 mi |
| Harlingen, TX | Marginal | west | 1480 mi |
| Los Fresnos, TX | Marginal | west | 1496 mi |
| Bayview, TX | Marginal | west | 1498 mi |
| Brownsville, TX | Marginal | west | 1501 mi |
| Laguna Vista, TX | Marginal | west | 1505 mi |
| Port Isabel, TX | Marginal | west | 1511 mi |
| South Padre Island, TX | Marginal | west | 1512 mi |
| Grand Isle, LA | Not visible | — | 1827 mi |
| Gulf Shores, AL | Not visible | — | 1935 mi |
| Pensacola Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 1966 mi |
| Tallahassee, FL | Not visible | — | 2126 mi |
| Valdosta, GA | Not visible | — | 2175 mi |
| Gainesville, FL | Not visible | — | 2254 mi |
| Brunswick, GA | Not visible | — | 2270 mi |
| Savannah, GA | Not visible | — | 2275 mi |
| Jacksonville, FL | Not visible | — | 2277 mi |
| Tampa, FL | Not visible | — | 2287 mi |
| Hilton Head Island, SC | Not visible | — | 2291 mi |
| St. Augustine, FL | Not visible | — | 2306 mi |
| Lakeland, FL | Not visible | — | 2313 mi |
| Palm Coast, FL | Not visible | — | 2319 mi |
| Charleston, SC | Not visible | — | 2328 mi |
| Orlando, FL | Not visible | — | 2333 mi |
| Sanford, FL | Not visible | — | 2334 mi |
| Kissimmee, FL | Not visible | — | 2338 mi |
| Daytona Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2338 mi |
| New Smyrna Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2347 mi |
| Mims, FL | Not visible | — | 2361 mi |
| Titusville, FL | Not visible | — | 2364 mi |
| Myrtle Beach, SC | Not visible | — | 2371 mi |
| Rockledge, FL | Not visible | — | 2375 mi |
| Merritt Island, FL | Not visible | — | 2377 mi |
| Port Canaveral, FL | Not visible | — | 2380 mi |
| Cocoa Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2383 mi |
| Satellite Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2387 mi |
| Melbourne, FL | Not visible | — | 2389 mi |
| Palm Bay, FL | Not visible | — | 2391 mi |
| Indialantic, FL | Not visible | — | 2391 mi |
| Richmond, VA | Not visible | — | 2400 mi |
| Sebastian, FL | Not visible | — | 2403 mi |
| Washington, DC | Not visible | — | 2409 mi |
| Vero Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2412 mi |
| Fort Pierce, FL | Not visible | — | 2420 mi |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | Not visible | — | 2423 mi |
| Baltimore, MD | Not visible | — | 2429 mi |
| Annapolis, MD | Not visible | — | 2438 mi |
| West Palm Beach, FL | Not visible | — | 2456 mi |
| Newport News, VA | Not visible | — | 2458 mi |
| Fort Lauderdale, FL | Not visible | — | 2467 mi |
| Norfolk, VA | Not visible | — | 2470 mi |
| Miami, FL | Not visible | — | 2474 mi |
| Cape Charles, VA | Not visible | — | 2480 mi |
| Virginia Beach, VA | Not visible | — | 2487 mi |
| Exmore, VA | Not visible | — | 2488 mi |
| Dover, DE | Not visible | — | 2488 mi |
| Onancock, VA | Not visible | — | 2490 mi |
| Salisbury, MD | Not visible | — | 2491 mi |
| Pocomoke City, MD | Not visible | — | 2496 mi |
| Philadelphia, PA | Not visible | — | 2500 mi |
| Chincoteague, VA | Not visible | — | 2507 mi |
| Wallops Island, VA | Not visible | — | 2508 mi |
| Berlin, MD | Not visible | — | 2512 mi |
| Rehoboth Beach, DE | Not visible | — | 2515 mi |
| Ocean City, MD | Not visible | — | 2519 mi |
| Cape May, NJ | Not visible | — | 2522 mi |
| Ocean City, NJ | Not visible | — | 2537 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 upcoming launches
- Pegasus XL | Swift Rescue Mission — In 4 weeks
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-43 — Today
- Long March 6A | Unknown Payload — Today
- Long March 8 | Unknown Payload — Tomorrow
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-43 — In 3 days
- South Korean ADD Solid-Fuel SLV | Demo Flight — In 4 days
- Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 10-35 — In 4 days
- Smart Dragon 3 | Unknown Payload — In 6 days
Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated June 4, 2026.