SLS Block 1 | Artemis II — what you saw in the sky & launch recap

Artemis II is the first crewed mission as part of the Artemis program. Artemis II will send a crew of 4 - 3 Americans and 1 Canadian around the moon and return them back to Earth. The mission will test the core systems of NASA's Orion spacecraft including the critical life support system, among other systems which could not be tested during Artemis I due to the lack of crew onboard.

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Rocket
Space Launch System Block 1
Provider
National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Launch site
Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
Status
Launch Successful

Liftoff time

What you saw

If you spotted a bright streak or contrail in the sky from Titusville, FL · Mims, FL · Port Canaveral, FL or nearby, this launch is very likely what it was.

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:

CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Titusville, FL Excellent east 12 mi
Mims, FL Excellent east 13 mi
Port Canaveral, FL Excellent north 15 mi
Merritt Island, FL Excellent north-northeast 19 mi
Rockledge, FL Excellent north-northeast 21 mi
Cocoa Beach, FL Excellent north 21 mi
Satellite Beach, FL Excellent north 31 mi
New Smyrna Beach, FL Excellent southeast 34 mi
Indialantic, FL Excellent north 37 mi
Melbourne, FL Excellent north 38 mi
Show all 94 cities
CityVisibilityLook towardDistance to pad
Sanford, FL Excellent east-southeast 41 mi
Palm Bay, FL Excellent north 41 mi
Orlando, FL Excellent east 46 mi
Daytona Beach, FL Excellent south-southeast 47 mi
Kissimmee, FL Excellent east-northeast 53 mi
Sebastian, FL Excellent north 57 mi
Vero Beach, FL Excellent north 70 mi
Palm Coast, FL Excellent south-southeast 75 mi
Fort Pierce, FL Excellent north-northwest 83 mi
Lakeland, FL Good east-northeast 90 mi
Port St. Lucie, FL Good north 95 mi
St. Augustine, FL Good south-southeast 97 mi
Tampa, FL Good east-northeast 121 mi
Gainesville, FL Good east-southeast 125 mi
Jacksonville, FL Good south-southeast 133 mi
West Palm Beach, FL Good north-northwest 137 mi
Fort Lauderdale, FL Good north 176 mi
Brunswick, GA Good south-southeast 182 mi
Miami, FL Good north 200 mi
Valdosta, GA Fair southeast 220 mi
Savannah, GA Good south 240 mi
Hilton Head Island, SC Good south 248 mi
Tallahassee, FL Fair east-southeast 253 mi
Charleston, SC Good south 290 mi
Myrtle Beach, SC Good south-southwest 364 mi
Pensacola Beach, FL Marginal east-southeast 409 mi
Gulf Shores, AL Marginal east 440 mi
Norfolk, VA Fair south-southwest 621 mi
Virginia Beach, VA Fair south-southwest 629 mi
Newport News, VA Fair south-southwest 632 mi
Richmond, VA Fair south-southwest 643 mi
Cape Charles, VA Fair south-southwest 654 mi
Exmore, VA Fair south-southwest 675 mi
Onancock, VA Fair south-southwest 688 mi
Wallops Island, VA Fair south-southwest 706 mi
Chincoteague, VA Fair south-southwest 710 mi
Pocomoke City, MD Fair south-southwest 714 mi
Salisbury, MD Fair south-southwest 732 mi
Berlin, MD Fair south-southwest 738 mi
Washington, DC Marginal south-southwest 739 mi
Ocean City, MD Fair south-southwest 743 mi
Annapolis, MD Marginal south-southwest 753 mi
Rehoboth Beach, DE Fair south-southwest 766 mi
Baltimore, MD Marginal south-southwest 772 mi
Cape May, NJ Fair south-southwest 784 mi
Dover, DE Fair south-southwest 784 mi
Ocean City, NJ Fair south-southwest 813 mi
Philadelphia, PA Marginal south-southwest 841 mi
Grand Isle, LA Not visible — 569 mi
Rockport, TX Not visible — 999 mi
Port Aransas, TX Not visible — 1001 mi
Corpus Christi, TX Not visible — 1022 mi
South Padre Island, TX Not visible — 1030 mi
Port Isabel, TX Not visible — 1032 mi
Laguna Vista, TX Not visible — 1037 mi
Bayview, TX Not visible — 1044 mi
Los Fresnos, TX Not visible — 1049 mi
Brownsville, TX Not visible — 1053 mi
Harlingen, TX Not visible — 1060 mi
McAllen, TX Not visible — 1092 mi
Laredo, TX Not visible — 1153 mi
San Diego, CA Not visible — 2179 mi
Pasadena, CA Not visible — 2233 mi
Mojave, CA Not visible — 2235 mi
Long Beach, CA Not visible — 2236 mi
Los Angeles, CA Not visible — 2239 mi
Malibu, CA Not visible — 2265 mi
Thousand Oaks, CA Not visible — 2273 mi
Bakersfield, CA Not visible — 2283 mi
Oxnard, CA Not visible — 2292 mi
Ventura, CA Not visible — 2299 mi
Santa Barbara, CA Not visible — 2322 mi
Fresno, CA Not visible — 2328 mi
Solvang, CA Not visible — 2347 mi
Buellton, CA Not visible — 2349 mi
Los Alamos, CA Not visible — 2354 mi
Santa Maria, CA Not visible — 2363 mi
Orcutt, CA Not visible — 2363 mi
Lompoc, CA Not visible — 2365 mi
Vandenberg Village, CA Not visible — 2365 mi
Guadalupe, CA Not visible — 2371 mi
Pismo Beach, CA Not visible — 2374 mi
San Luis Obispo, CA Not visible — 2375 mi
San Jose, CA Not visible — 2446 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.

Watch the live webcast Official launch details

What was that in the sky? — FAQ

What was the smoke trail in the sky over Florida on April 1, 2026?

Most likely SLS Block 1 | Artemis II — a Space Launch System Block 1 launched by National Aeronautics and Space Administration from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA at 6:35 PM EDT. From Titusville, FL it appeared low in the east sky and climbed toward the northeast as it headed downrange.

Which cities could see the SLS Block 1 | Artemis II launch?

With clear skies, it was likely visible from Titusville, FL; Mims, FL; Port Canaveral, FL; Merritt Island, FL; Rockledge, FL; Cocoa Beach, FL — and from other towns within a few hundred miles of Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA. The city-by-city table on this page shows the estimated view from each.

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Launch data from TheSpaceDevs Launch Library 2. Page generated July 13, 2026.