Launches · Long March 2C · Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Unknown Payload: where you can see the launch
China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation's Long March 2C is set to launch Unknown Payload from Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China at around 12 AM GMT+8 on Friday, November 6, 2026.
It most likely flies east. The exact path isn't published, so a few places below are marked as depending on it.
It's dark by then, so the flame shows as a bright, moving light.
Best views: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shenzhen and 14 more.
Low on the horizon from Hanoi, Xi’an, Zhengzhou and 10 more.
Watch live on the globe The Sky Globe follows the rocket from liftoff, worked out from its launch site and direction.
Launch times often slip, sometimes by days. This page follows the latest schedule, so check back on the day.
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Where it can be seen
The map needs JavaScript. The list beside it and the table below have the same information.
The chance of a good view combines how high the rocket gets above each place's horizon, how dark the sky is there, and no cloud forecast yet (it comes in within five days of launch). It's our estimate: haze, hills and trees aren't in it.
Can I see it from my city? 37 cities within 1,500 km
| City | Chance | Distance | Look toward | Highest | When | View | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lijiang, CN | 90% | 235 km (146 mi) | northeast, moving east | 16° | 2 to 8 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 90% · 235 km (146 mi) · look northeast, moving east · up to 16° · 2 to 8 min after liftoff |
| Chengdu, Sichuan, CN | 100% | 325 km (202 mi) | southwest, moving southeast | 23° | 2 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view | 100% · 325 km (202 mi) · look southwest, moving southeast · up to 23° · 2 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Kunming, CN | 98% | 363 km (226 mi) | north, moving east | 19° | 2 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 98% · 363 km (226 mi) · look north, moving east · up to 19° · 2 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Chongqing, CN | 100% | 464 km (288 mi) | west, moving southeast | 35° | 2 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view | 100% · 464 km (288 mi) · look west, moving southeast · up to 35° · 2 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Nanchong, CN | 100% | 484 km (301 mi) | southwest, moving southeast | 23° | 2 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 484 km (301 mi) · look southwest, moving southeast · up to 23° · 2 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Guiyang, CN | 100% | 498 km (309 mi) | northwest, moving east | 60° | 2 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view | 100% · 498 km (309 mi) · look northwest, moving east · up to 60° · 2 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Tianshui, CN | 63% | 787 km (489 mi) | south, moving southeast | 8° | 3 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 63% · 787 km (489 mi) · look south, moving southeast · up to 8° · 3 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Lanzhou, CN | 45% | 885 km (550 mi) | south, moving southeast | 5° | 3 to 8 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 45% · 885 km (550 mi) · look south, moving southeast · up to 5° · 3 to 8 min after liftoff |
| Hanoi, VN | 78% | 890 km (553 mi) | north, moving northeast | 11° | 3 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 78% · 890 km (553 mi) · look north, moving northeast · up to 11° · 3 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Xianyang, CN | 69% | 927 km (576 mi) | southwest, moving southeast | 9° | 3 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 69% · 927 km (576 mi) · look southwest, moving southeast · up to 9° · 3 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Xi’an, CN | 69% | 936 km (582 mi) | southwest, moving southeast | 9° | 3 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 69% · 936 km (582 mi) · look southwest, moving southeast · up to 9° · 3 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Shiyan, CN | 83% | 970 km (603 mi) | southwest, moving southeast | 13° | 3 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 83% · 970 km (603 mi) · look southwest, moving southeast · up to 13° · 3 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Changsha, CN | 100% | 1,072 km (666 mi) | west, moving southeast | 41° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,072 km (666 mi) · look west, moving southeast · up to 41° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Yueyang, CN | 100% | 1,085 km (674 mi) | west, moving southeast | 28° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,085 km (674 mi) · look west, moving southeast · up to 28° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Guankou, CN | 100% | 1,136 km (706 mi) | west, moving southeast | 39° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,136 km (706 mi) · look west, moving southeast · up to 39° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Zhongshan, CN | 93% | 1,156 km (718 mi) | northwest, moving northeast | 17° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 93% · 1,156 km (718 mi) · look northwest, moving northeast · up to 17° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Yunfu, CN | 100% | 1,164 km (723 mi) | northwest, moving northeast | 28° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,164 km (723 mi) · look northwest, moving northeast · up to 28° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Wuhan, CN | 98% | 1,213 km (754 mi) | west, moving south | 19° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 98% · 1,213 km (754 mi) · look west, moving south · up to 19° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Luoyang, CN | 63% | 1,219 km (757 mi) | southwest, moving south | 8° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 63% · 1,219 km (757 mi) · look southwest, moving south · up to 8° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Xinyang, CN | 85% | 1,234 km (767 mi) | southwest, moving south | 14° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 85% · 1,234 km (767 mi) · look southwest, moving south · up to 14° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Guangzhou, Guangdong, CN | 100% | 1,260 km (783 mi) | northwest, moving northeast | 32° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,260 km (783 mi) · look northwest, moving northeast · up to 32° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Xuchang, CN | 69% | 1,296 km (805 mi) | southwest, moving south | 9° | 5 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 69% · 1,296 km (805 mi) · look southwest, moving south · up to 9° · 5 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Dongguan, CN | 100% | 1,310 km (814 mi) | northwest, moving northeast | 33° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,310 km (814 mi) · look northwest, moving northeast · up to 33° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Zhengzhou, CN | 63% | 1,317 km (818 mi) | southwest, moving south | 8° | 5 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 63% · 1,317 km (818 mi) · look southwest, moving south · up to 8° · 5 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Nanchang, CN | 100% | 1,351 km (839 mi) | west, moving south | 29° | 4 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,351 km (839 mi) · look west, moving south · up to 29° · 4 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Dadonghai, CN | 63% | 1,351 km (839 mi) | north, moving northeast | 8° | 5 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 63% · 1,351 km (839 mi) · look north, moving northeast · up to 8° · 5 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Shenzhen, Guangdong, CN | 100% | 1,364 km (848 mi) | northwest, moving northeast | 29° | 5 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,364 km (848 mi) · look northwest, moving northeast · up to 29° · 5 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Hong Kong, HK | 100% | 1,386 km (861 mi) | northwest, moving northeast | 28° | 5 to 9 min after liftoff | Good view depends on the path | 100% · 1,386 km (861 mi) · look northwest, moving northeast · up to 28° · 5 to 9 min after liftoff |
| Taiyuan, CN | 15% | 1,450 km (901 mi) | south | 3° | 7 to 8 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 15% · 1,450 km (901 mi) · look south · up to 3° · 7 to 8 min after liftoff |
| Handan, CN | 45% | 1,490 km (926 mi) | southwest, moving south | 5° | 6 to 9 min after liftoff | Low on the horizon depends on the path | 45% · 1,490 km (926 mi) · look southwest, moving south · up to 5° · 6 to 9 min after liftoff |
From where you are
Not near one of these cities? or pick a place:
The launch
- Liftoff
- Nov 6, 2026, 12:00 AM GMT+8 (to the hour)
- Launch window
- 11:52 PM to 12:16 AM GMT+8
- Status
- Go for launch
- Rocket
- Long March 2C (China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation)
- Mission
- Unknown Payload, unknown
- Orbit
- Unknown
- Pad
- Launch Complex 3 (LC-3/LA-1), Xichang Satellite Launch Center, People's Republic of China
Details TBD.
Mission summary from Launch Library 2.
What you'll see
A rocket at night looks like a bright, steady light climbing slowly, often with a glowing trail. After two or three minutes it gets smaller as it heads downrange, and you may see the first stage drop away.
Saw it?
If you see it, report it and your sighting will show up here.
Coming up next
How we work this out: we follow a typical climb to orbit (about 70 km up two and a half minutes after liftoff, and about 210 km up and 1,400 km downrange after eight) in the direction the rocket flies, then work out how high above each city's horizon it gets and how dark that city's sky is. Clouds, hills and city lights aren't included. Launch times come from Launch Library 2 by The Space Devs. More on our methods.