Soyuz 2.1b | 16 x Rassvet-3 — what you saw in the sky & launch recap

Note: Payload identities uncertain. Batch of 16 Rassvet-3 Low Earth Orbit communication satellites for the Russian Byuro-1440 (Bureau 1440) constellation for broadband high-speed internet access in Russia.

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Rocket: Soyuz 2.1b
Provider: Russian Federal Space Agency (ROSCOSMOS)
Launch site: Plesetsk Cosmodrome, Russian Federation
Status: Launch Successful

Liftoff time

Jul 19, 2026, 5:51 PM UTC
Jul 19, 2026, 1:51 PM Eastern
Jul 19, 2026, 10:51 AM Pacific

Visibility map: how far away could you see it?

Each ring shows how far away Soyuz 2.1b was 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.

Soyuz 2.1b | 16 x Rassvet-3 visibility range: each ring marks how far away the rocket was 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 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. The 10 most likely first:

City	Visibility	Look toward	Distance to pad
Philadelphia, PA	Not visible	—	4499 mi
Ocean City, NJ	Not visible	—	4526 mi
Cape May, NJ	Not visible	—	4555 mi
Dover, DE	Not visible	—	4556 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE	Not visible	—	4572 mi
Baltimore, MD	Not visible	—	4574 mi
Annapolis, MD	Not visible	—	4590 mi
Ocean City, MD	Not visible	—	4596 mi
Berlin, MD	Not visible	—	4601 mi
Salisbury, MD	Not visible	—	4607 mi

Show all 94 cities

City	Visibility	Look toward	Distance to pad
Washington, DC	Not visible	—	4608 mi
Pocomoke City, MD	Not visible	—	4624 mi
Chincoteague, VA	Not visible	—	4629 mi
Wallops Island, VA	Not visible	—	4633 mi
Onancock, VA	Not visible	—	4651 mi
Exmore, VA	Not visible	—	4664 mi
Cape Charles, VA	Not visible	—	4685 mi
Richmond, VA	Not visible	—	4702 mi
Newport News, VA	Not visible	—	4707 mi
Virginia Beach, VA	Not visible	—	4710 mi
Norfolk, VA	Not visible	—	4718 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC	Not visible	—	4978 mi
Charleston, SC	Not visible	—	5060 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC	Not visible	—	5114 mi
Savannah, GA	Not visible	—	5131 mi
Brunswick, GA	Not visible	—	5200 mi
Jacksonville, FL	Not visible	—	5256 mi
Valdosta, GA	Not visible	—	5262 mi
St. Augustine, FL	Not visible	—	5275 mi
Palm Coast, FL	Not visible	—	5292 mi
Tallahassee, FL	Not visible	—	5310 mi
Daytona Beach, FL	Not visible	—	5311 mi
Gainesville, FL	Not visible	—	5314 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL	Not visible	—	5321 mi
Mims, FL	Not visible	—	5342 mi
Sanford, FL	Not visible	—	5343 mi
Titusville, FL	Not visible	—	5344 mi
Port Canaveral, FL	Not visible	—	5352 mi
Merritt Island, FL	Not visible	—	5357 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL	Not visible	—	5358 mi
Rockledge, FL	Not visible	—	5360 mi
Orlando, FL	Not visible	—	5363 mi
Satellite Beach, FL	Not visible	—	5366 mi
Indialantic, FL	Not visible	—	5371 mi
Melbourne, FL	Not visible	—	5373 mi
Palm Bay, FL	Not visible	—	5376 mi
Kissimmee, FL	Not visible	—	5379 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL	Not visible	—	5381 mi
Sebastian, FL	Not visible	—	5386 mi
Vero Beach, FL	Not visible	—	5396 mi
Gulf Shores, AL	Not visible	—	5398 mi
Fort Pierce, FL	Not visible	—	5406 mi
Lakeland, FL	Not visible	—	5408 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL	Not visible	—	5418 mi
Tampa, FL	Not visible	—	5426 mi
San Jose, CA	Not visible	—	5440 mi
West Palm Beach, FL	Not visible	—	5446 mi
Fresno, CA	Not visible	—	5464 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL	Not visible	—	5486 mi
Miami, FL	Not visible	—	5510 mi
Grand Isle, LA	Not visible	—	5513 mi
Bakersfield, CA	Not visible	—	5551 mi
Mojave, CA	Not visible	—	5565 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA	Not visible	—	5571 mi
Pismo Beach, CA	Not visible	—	5581 mi
Guadalupe, CA	Not visible	—	5592 mi
Santa Maria, CA	Not visible	—	5592 mi
Orcutt, CA	Not visible	—	5598 mi
Los Alamos, CA	Not visible	—	5605 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA	Not visible	—	5609 mi
Buellton, CA	Not visible	—	5613 mi
Solvang, CA	Not visible	—	5613 mi
Lompoc, CA	Not visible	—	5613 mi
Santa Barbara, CA	Not visible	—	5622 mi
Pasadena, CA	Not visible	—	5626 mi
Ventura, CA	Not visible	—	5628 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA	Not visible	—	5631 mi
Oxnard, CA	Not visible	—	5632 mi
Los Angeles, CA	Not visible	—	5633 mi
Malibu, CA	Not visible	—	5638 mi
Long Beach, CA	Not visible	—	5652 mi
San Diego, CA	Not visible	—	5713 mi
Rockport, TX	Not visible	—	5734 mi
Port Aransas, TX	Not visible	—	5747 mi
Corpus Christi, TX	Not visible	—	5755 mi
Laredo, TX	Not visible	—	5813 mi
South Padre Island, TX	Not visible	—	5862 mi
Laguna Vista, TX	Not visible	—	5865 mi
Bayview, TX	Not visible	—	5865 mi
Port Isabel, TX	Not visible	—	5865 mi
Harlingen, TX	Not visible	—	5867 mi
Los Fresnos, TX	Not visible	—	5870 mi
McAllen, TX	Not visible	—	5876 mi
Brownsville, TX	Not visible	—	5882 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.

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Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated August 30, 2026.