Kinetica 1 | Unknown Payload is scheduled to fly aboard a Kinetica 1 from Launch Area 130 on 2026-05-15. LaunchDetect tracks the rocket's thermal signature in geostationary satellite infrared imagery from the moment the engines ignite, giving you an orbital vantage point on the ascent that ground cameras cannot match.
The pad sits at 40.8182°, 100.2251°. Our detection pipeline ingests GOES-18, GOES-19, and Himawari-9 frames and isolates plumes within seconds of liftoff. You can watch it happen live during the launch window.
Launch windows slip. Weather scrubs missions. LaunchDetect monitors the actual hardware on the pad, not the schedule, so you see the launch the moment it happens, regardless of broadcast availability.
Window: T-0 at 2026-05-15T04:30:00Z UTC. Site: Launch Area 130. Vehicle: Kinetica 1.
| Mission | Kinetica 1 | Unknown Payload |
| Vehicle | Kinetica 1 |
| Site | Launch Area 130 (jiuquan) |
| Coordinates | 40.8182, 100.22514 |
| Window | T-0 at 2026-05-15T04:30:00Z UTC |
| Status | GO |
LaunchDetect monitors GOES-18, GOES-19, and Himawari-9 geostationary weather satellites for the thermal signature of every rocket launch on Earth. The platform turns 22,000-mile-altitude infrared imagery into a live view of ascent. Browse all upcoming launches.