If you're staring at the sky or refreshing your feed wondering is there a space launch today, the answer usually depends on how early you woke up. As of Saturday, January 17, 2026, the short answer is: you might have just missed the fire, but you're just in time for the "rollout" of the decade.
The big news this morning actually happened under the cover of darkness for most of the U.S. A SpaceX Falcon 9 roared off the pad from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California late last night/early this morning (technically 4:39 AM GMT on January 17). It was the NROL-105 mission, carrying a secretive batch of reconnaissance satellites for the National Reconnaissance Office. If you're looking for a streak in the sky right now, that bird has already flown and successfully deployed its classified payload.
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But don't close your browser yet. Today isn't a "dead" day for space fans. Far from it.
The Artemis 2 Moon Rocket is Rolling Out
While there isn't another vertical liftoff scheduled for the next few hours, something massive is happening at Kennedy Space Center. NASA has officially begun the rollout of the Artemis 2 moon rocket.
Kinda a big deal, honestly.
At 7:04 a.m. EST this morning, the crawler-transporter 2 started moving the 322-foot-tall Space Launch System (SLS) rocket out of the Vehicle Assembly Building. It's heading to Launch Pad 39B. This is the rocket that will carry four humans—Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen—around the moon as early as next month. It moves at a blistering 1 mph. Basically, it’s a day-long parade for a giant orange rocket.
Why today matters even without a countdown
- The NROL-105 Success: SpaceX just checked off its first big national security mission of 2026.
- Artemis 2 Milestones: Seeing the SLS on the pad is the "point of no return" for a launch window.
- Crew-11 News: We’re still processing the recent medical evacuation and return of the Crew-11 team, which has shifted some ISS schedules.
Is there a space launch today in China?
Actually, yes. Across the world at the Jiuquan Space Launch Center, a Long March 2D rocket successfully lifted off earlier today (04:07 UTC). It carried a trio of satellites: PRSC-E01 for Pakistan, plus the Tianlu-1 and Lantan-1 Earth observation sats.
If you’re counting "today" by the 24-hour clock, we’ve already had two major orbital successes. The pace of 2026 is frankly a bit ridiculous. Between SpaceX’s Starlink cadence and the surge in international launches, "no launch days" are becoming the exception, not the rule.
Upcoming Launches to Watch
If you missed the NROL-105 or the Long March, here is what’s hitting the pad in the next 72 hours. These things change fast because of weather (Florida's classic humidity or Vandenberg's fog), so keep these dates loose:
- January 18: SpaceX is back at it. A Falcon 9 is slated to launch Starlink Group 6-100 from Cape Canaveral at 2:04 PM.
- January 18: China is expected to launch a Long March 12 from Wenchang with an unconfirmed payload.
- January 20: The Electron rocket from Rocket Lab is scheduled for "The Cosmos Will See You Now" mission from New Zealand.
How to check for "Surprise" launches
Sometimes, a launch window is "classified" or "TBD" until the last second. If you’re ever unsure, I usually check the FAA’s Temporary Flight Restrictions (TFRs). If there’s a giant circle of "don't fly here" over a coastline, someone is probably lighting a candle.
Honestly, the best way to stay updated is to watch the live streams. NASA TV is currently showing the Artemis 2 rollout, which is strangely therapeutic to watch. It's just a slow, 11-million-pound crawl toward history.
Next Steps for Space Fans
Check the NASA YouTube channel for the live "crawler-cam" of the SLS move. If you're waiting for the next actual countdown, set an alarm for Sunday afternoon for the next Starlink batch. The NROL-105 launch replays are also hitting social media now if you want to see the Falcon 9 landing at Landing Zone 4.