New Glenn Blue Ring-1 — launch date, time, visibility & where to look

The first mission of Blue Ring, Blue Origin's all-in-one, high-powered hybrid solar electric and chemical propelled spacecraft, will test the spacecraft's operations in Geostationary Transfer Orbit (GTO), as well as subsequent operations after reaching Geostationary Orbit (GEO). It will carry one of Scout Space's flagship next-generation space domain awareness (SDA) Owl sensors, which is designed to enhance real-time tracking, characterization, and assessment of space objects by integrating advanced optical sensing, onboard artificial intelligence-driven processing, and autonomous decision-making capabilities to deliver domain-wide intelligence in space in support of the U.S. Space Force’s space control mission set. Blue Ring will also carry Optimum Technologies (OpTech)'s next-generation Caracal optical payload, which is designed to provide actionable insights on resident space objects and orbital activity and includes onboard image storage, object detection algorithms, and passive thermal control. The payload is designed to operate flexibly across dynamic orbits over a year-long mission profile. Several internal Blue Origin payloads will also be hosted.

New Glenn on the pad
Rocket
New Glenn
Provider
Blue Origin
Launch site
Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA
Status
To Be Determined

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

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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Sky outlook at the pad

Daily cloud cover and rain chance at Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA (liftoff is still beyond the 7-day forecast window):

  • Today 56% cloud 45% rain
  • Sun 64% cloud 74% rain
  • Mon 19% cloud 15% rain
  • Tue 16% cloud 17% rain
  • Wed 23% cloud 23% rain
  • Thu 20% cloud 20% rain
  • Fri 24% cloud 29% rain

Forecast at the launch site; check your own sky too: cloud over you can hide a launch the pad forecast says is clear.

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Visibility map: how far away can you see it?

Each ring shows how far away New Glenn 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.

N ↑ T+90s T+75s T+60s T+45s T+30s T+15s Orlando, FL — 51 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Orlando Tampa, FL — 122 mi from the pad · good view expected Tampa Jacksonville, FL — 145 mi from the pad · good view expected Jacksonville Miami, FL — 189 mi from the pad · good view expected Miami Melbourne, FL — 27 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Melbourne Daytona Beach, FL — 59 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Daytona Beach Vero Beach, FL — 58 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Vero Beach Fort Pierce, FL — 72 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Fort Pierce Port St. Lucie, FL — 84 mi from the pad · excellent view expected Port St. Lucie West Palm Beach, FL — 125 mi from the pad · good view expected West Palm Beach Fort Lauderdale, FL — 164 mi from the pad · good view expected Fort Lauderdale St. Augustine, FL — 109 mi from the pad · good view expected St. Augustine Launch Complex 36A
New Glenn | Blue Ring-1 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:

CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Port Canaveral, FL Excellent northeast 6 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL Excellent north-northeast 11 mi
Merritt Island, FL Excellent northeast 12 mi
Rockledge, FL Excellent northeast 15 mi
Titusville, FL Excellent east-southeast 19 mi
Satellite Beach, FL Excellent north 20 mi
Mims, FL Excellent southeast 22 mi
Indialantic, FL Excellent north 26 mi
Melbourne, FL Excellent north 27 mi
Palm Bay, FL Excellent north 31 mi
Show all 94 cities
CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Sebastian, FL Excellent north 45 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL Excellent south-southeast 45 mi
Sanford, FL Excellent east-southeast 50 mi
Orlando, FL Excellent east 51 mi
Kissimmee, FL Excellent east-northeast 54 mi
Vero Beach, FL Excellent north 58 mi
Daytona Beach, FL Excellent south-southeast 59 mi
Fort Pierce, FL Excellent north 72 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL Excellent north 84 mi
Palm Coast, FL Excellent south-southeast 87 mi
Lakeland, FL Good east-northeast 91 mi
St. Augustine, FL Good south-southeast 109 mi
Tampa, FL Good east-northeast 122 mi
West Palm Beach, FL Good north-northwest 125 mi
Gainesville, FL Good southeast 135 mi
Jacksonville, FL Good south-southeast 145 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL Good north 164 mi
Miami, FL Good north 189 mi
Brunswick, GA Good south-southeast 194 mi
Valdosta, GA Fair southeast 232 mi
Savannah, GA Fair south 252 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC Fair south 259 mi
Tallahassee, FL Fair east-southeast 263 mi
Charleston, SC Fair south 300 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC Marginal south-southwest 374 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL Marginal east-southeast 417 mi
Gulf Shores, AL Not visible — 448 mi
Grand Isle, LA Not visible — 575 mi
Norfolk, VA Not visible — 629 mi
Virginia Beach, VA Not visible — 637 mi
Newport News, VA Not visible — 641 mi
Richmond, VA Not visible — 652 mi
Cape Charles, VA Not visible — 662 mi
Exmore, VA Not visible — 683 mi
Onancock, VA Not visible — 696 mi
Wallops Island, VA Not visible — 714 mi
Chincoteague, VA Not visible — 718 mi
Pocomoke City, MD Not visible — 722 mi
Salisbury, MD Not visible — 740 mi
Berlin, MD Not visible — 746 mi
Washington, DC Not visible — 749 mi
Ocean City, MD Not visible — 751 mi
Annapolis, MD Not visible — 762 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE Not visible — 774 mi
Baltimore, MD Not visible — 781 mi
Cape May, NJ Not visible — 792 mi
Dover, DE Not visible — 792 mi
Ocean City, NJ Not visible — 821 mi
Philadelphia, PA Not visible — 850 mi
Rockport, TX Not visible — 1004 mi
Port Aransas, TX Not visible — 1006 mi
Corpus Christi, TX Not visible — 1027 mi
South Padre Island, TX Not visible — 1033 mi
Port Isabel, TX Not visible — 1036 mi
Laguna Vista, TX Not visible — 1040 mi
Bayview, TX Not visible — 1047 mi
Los Fresnos, TX Not visible — 1052 mi
Brownsville, TX Not visible — 1056 mi
Harlingen, TX Not visible — 1064 mi
McAllen, TX Not visible — 1096 mi
Laredo, TX Not visible — 1158 mi
San Diego, CA Not visible — 2187 mi
Pasadena, CA Not visible — 2241 mi
Mojave, CA Not visible — 2243 mi
Long Beach, CA Not visible — 2244 mi
Los Angeles, CA Not visible — 2247 mi
Malibu, CA Not visible — 2273 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA Not visible — 2281 mi
Bakersfield, CA Not visible — 2291 mi
Oxnard, CA Not visible — 2300 mi
Ventura, CA Not visible — 2307 mi
Santa Barbara, CA Not visible — 2330 mi
Fresno, CA Not visible — 2336 mi
Solvang, CA Not visible — 2355 mi
Buellton, CA Not visible — 2358 mi
Los Alamos, CA Not visible — 2362 mi
Santa Maria, CA Not visible — 2371 mi
Orcutt, CA Not visible — 2372 mi
Lompoc, CA Not visible — 2373 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA Not visible — 2373 mi
Guadalupe, CA Not visible — 2379 mi
Pismo Beach, CA Not visible — 2383 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA Not visible — 2384 mi
San Jose, CA Not visible — 2455 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.

10° 37° T+10s T+5m 10s
From Port Canaveral, FL: rises T+10s in the NE, peaks 37°.
10° 36° T+10s T+5m 10s NE
From Cocoa Beach, FL: rises T+10s in the NNE, peaks 36°.
10° 34° T+10s T+5m 10s
From Merritt Island, FL: rises T+10s in the NE, peaks 34°.

More from Blue Origin ↗

Before you go

New Glenn Blue Ring-1 launch FAQ

When is the New Glenn Blue Ring-1 launch date and time?

New Glenn Blue Ring-1 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 New Glenn Blue Ring-1 launch from?

From Cape Canaveral SFS, FL, USA, operated by Blue Origin. 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 New Glenn Blue Ring-1 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 October 11, 2026.