Rocket Launch Schedule

Launches with no exact date yet

These launches are planned, but the launch company has only given a month, a season or a year. They move into the main schedule once a date is set.

How to read this rocket launch schedule

Every launch shows the rocket, what it is carrying, where it lifts off and when. Times appear in your own time zone. Use the buttons above the list to see only launches from Florida, California or Texas, or only SpaceX, NASA or China.

Each launch also has a status:

• Confirmed: the launch company or a reliable source has given this date and time.
• Date not confirmed: this is the expected date, but no one has made it official.
• Date not set: this is an estimate. It will likely change.
• On hold: the launch is paused and has no new time yet.

The schedule updates every Sunday. A launch can move at any time during the week, so check the official webcast on launch day. Use Add to calendar to save a launch to your phone.

Why rocket launch dates change

Weather is the most common reason. NASA calls it the single greatest cause of launch delays, and about 30% of weather delays come from lightning rules. A rocket flying through a charged cloud can trigger lightning, so launch teams wait for storms and thick clouds to clear.

Other delays come from:

• Technical problems found on the rocket or the ground equipment
• Delays to the satellite or spacecraft on board
• Rough seas where a booster is meant to land on a ship
• Boats or planes inside the safety zone
• Bad weather at the splashdown site, for flights with a crew

A launch stopped during the countdown is called a scrub. The team usually tries again the next day or at the next opening.

What a launch window means

A launch window is the period when a rocket can lift off and still reach its target. Some windows last hours. Others last one second, because the rocket has to meet an object already in orbit, such as the International Space Station.

Launch dates are often listed as “no earlier than”. That means the date is the first possible day, and the launch may come later.

Where rockets launch from

Launch sites sit next to oceans or in empty land, so that falling rocket stages land away from people. The busiest sites in the United States are:

• Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center, Florida: rockets fly east over the Atlantic Ocean.
• Vandenberg Space Force Base, California: rockets fly south over the Pacific Ocean, which suits satellites that pass over the poles.
• Starbase, Texas: the home of SpaceX Starship test flights.
• Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia: a NASA site used for smaller rockets.

Outside the United States, major sites include Jiuquan and Wenchang in China, Mahia in New Zealand, Kourou in French Guiana, Sriharikota in India, Tanegashima in Japan and Baikonur in Kazakhstan. You can read how the rockets themselves differ in our guide to the types of rockets.

How to watch a rocket launch online

Most launches are free to watch online. SpaceX streams on its website and on X, and our SpaceX launch schedule lists its flights. NASA streams on NASA+ and YouTube. United Launch Alliance and Rocket Lab stream on their websites and YouTube. Use the Watch live button on any launch above.

Streams usually start 5 to 30 minutes before liftoff. If a launch is delayed, the stream ends or goes on hold and the company posts the new time.

How to watch a rocket launch in person

Florida

Florida has the most launches you can see from public land. See the dates on our Florida rocket launch schedule. Popular spots near Cape Canaveral include Jetty Park, Playalinda Beach, Space View Park in Titusville, the Max Brewer Bridge and Cocoa Beach Pier. Playalinda sometimes closes for launches because it is close to the pads, so check before you drive.

Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex sells tickets and is the closest public viewing for many launches. Arrive at least two hours early for big launches.

California

Vandenberg has no public viewing area on base. People watch from around Lompoc, including Ocean Avenue, Harris Grade Road and Riverbend Park. On clear nights, launches can be seen from Santa Barbara and Los Angeles. Coastal fog often blocks the view from the beach.

Tips for seeing a launch

• Check the launch time again the morning of the launch.
• Pick a launch that happens just after sunset or before sunrise. Sunlight on the exhaust high in the sky makes the trail glow.
• Bring binoculars, water and something to sit on.
• Expect the sound to arrive after you see the rocket. From 10 miles away, it takes close to a minute.

If you enjoy watching the sky, see what else is coming with our meteor shower tonight guide and the next eclipse finder.

Rocket launch FAQ

Launch data comes from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs. Rocket photo credits appear under the schedule.