A United Launch Alliance Atlas V rocket will launch from Cape Canaveral at 3:53 a.m. EDT on Sunday, March 29, 2026, as part of the fifth mission to deploy Amazon’s Leo constellation of satellites. The 20-story-tall rocket, weighing 1.3 million pounds, will blast off from the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. Visibility maps from ULA suggest the rocket may be seen across Florida and as far north as New England, though cloud cover and weather could affect the view.
The launch is the fifth in a series of missions to build Amazon’s low Earth orbit satellite network. United Launch Alliance teams are preparing for the event, which follows recent rocket launches visible hundreds of miles from the Kennedy Space Center. In February 2026, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was spotted in West Palm Beach, about 150 miles from Cape Canaveral. Similarly, in December 2023, SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy was seen from Boca Raton to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
ULA’s visibility map includes parts of Florida, New Jersey, North Carolina, West Virginia, Ohio, Tennessee, and Alabama. Residents in these areas who are awake at launch time may see the rocket’s glow against the pre-dawn sky. The Atlas V’s trajectory could carry it over the Atlantic Ocean, potentially making it visible along the East Coast.
Previous launches have shown that Florida’s rocket activity can be seen far beyond the Space Coast. In February 2025, residents of Fayetteville, North Carolina, captured images of a Falcon 9 rocket after liftoff from Cape Canaveral. ULA said the Atlas V launch’s visibility will depend on atmospheric conditions, but the company has released a map to help residents determine if their location is in the viewing area.
The launch will be covered by Florida Today’s Space Team, with updates available 90 minutes before liftoff at floridatoday.com/space.