Rocket Launches in California
An up-to-date list of all 49 scheduled rocket launches in California, and a map of active launch sites.
Rocket Launch Sites in California
Mojave Air and Space Port
A leading air launch facility for private spaceflight and aerospace research in Mojave, California.
Vandenberg SFB
U.S. Space Force facility in California for spacecraft launches and missile testing.
Upcoming California Launches
10 May, 12:38am
UTC
A batch of satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Updated: May 4, 7:00am UTC
TBD
May 2025
The Electro-Optical/Infrared Weather System (EWS) Operational Demonstration-1 (OD-1) is a weather satellite for the United States Space Force. It is a prototype satellite made by General Atomics that will be place in LEO for a three-year demonstration mission of new EO/IR sensor technologies to various US military branches, and to act as a stop-gap for Defense Department needs for weather data.
Updated: May 4, 7:00am UTC
TBD
May 2025
A batch of 26 satellites for the Starlink mega-constellation - SpaceX's project for space-based Internet communication system.
Last Update: Delayed TBD with removal of official webpage.
NAOS (National Advanced Optical System) is the space component of Luxembourg's governmental dual-use observation satellite system LUXEOSys (Luxembourg Earth Observation System). Its purpose is to provide high resolution images to national and international governmental and military organizations such as NATO. The 800 kg satellite is built by OHB Italia and is equipped with a very high-resolution optical camera with a ground reolution of 50 cm in an around 450 km high sun-synchronous orbit. It will have a operational life time of 7 years.
Last Update: NET 1H 2025.
Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.
Last Update: Changed launch site.
TBD
Sep 2025
Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 1 Transport Layer.
Last Update: NET late summer. (order of launches per https://sam.gov/opp/7111789df59149cd81596402c35e33d3/view P.12)
TBD
Sep 2025
STP-S29A is a mission under the U.S. Department of Defense's Space Test Program (STP) that will deliver technology demonstrations to orbit and contribute to future space system development, with this launch delivering up to 200 kg of STP cubesats to Low Earth Orbit. The main payload will be STPSat-7, an ESPA class satellite based on the Aegis Aerospace M-1 satellite bus used on the STPSat-4 mission for hosting research and technology demonstration payloads for the Department of Defense (DoD). One of the payload is U.S. Naval Research Laboratory's (NRL) Lightsheet Anomaly Resolution and Debris Observation (LARADO) instrument, used to detect and characterize lethal non-trackable orbital debris with lasers in orbit.
Updated: Oct 13, 6:00pm UTC
NASA's Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) mission, consisting of two identical satellites that will orbit Earth in tandem (one following the other), will help understand magnetic re-connection and its effects in Earth’s atmosphere. Magnetic re-connection occurs when activity from the Sun interacts with Earth’s magnetic field. By understanding this process, scientists will be able to better understand and prepare for impacts of solar activity on Earth.
Last Update: NET summer.
Dedicated rideshare flight to a sun-synchronous orbit with dozens of small microsatellites and nanosatellites for commercial and government customers.
Last Update: Changed launch site.
First of six missions launched by the Space Development Agency for the Tranche 1 Transport Layer.
Last Update: NET March 2025.
TBD
2025
The Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich (launched November 2020) and Sentinel-6B make up the Sentinel-6 mission, also known as Jason Continuity of Service (Jason-CS), which is a partnership between NASA, NOAA, ESA, and EUMETSAT. This mission continues the long-term global sea surface height data record begun by first Jason satellites in 1992.
Last Update: NET late 2025.
24 satellites for Rivada's internet constellation.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
24 satellites for Rivada's internet constellation.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
24 satellites for Rivada's internet constellation.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
24 satellites for Rivada's internet constellation.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
24 satellites for Rivada's internet constellation.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
24 satellites for Rivada's internet constellation.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
TBD
2025
CAS500-2 is the second of two similar South Korean Earth observation satellites. These spacecraft feature the AEISS-C imaging system with a ground resolution of 0.5 m in panchromatic mode and 2 m in color mode. CAS500-4 is a wide area Earth-observation satellite with a wide-area electro-optical camera (swath width of 120 km and resolution of 5 m) to be mainly used by the Rural Development Administration and the Korea Forest Service for observing crops, agricultural water resources and forest resources.
Last Update: New launch contract with SpaceX confirmed following previous contract voided due to Ukraine-Russia war.
Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 1 Tracking Layer.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 1 Transport Layer.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 1 Transport Layer.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 1 Transport Layer.
Updated: Apr 12, 11:33pm UTC
Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 1 Tracking Layer.
Updated: Jan 3, 8:05pm UTC
Classified mission launched by the Space Development Agency (SDA) for Tranche 1 Tracking Layer.
Updated: Jan 3, 8:05pm UTC
Classified payload for the US Space Force.
Updated: Jan 3, 8:05pm UTC