Los Angeles (US)

The local space context of Los Angeles as this registry holds it — the catalogued human footprint on the ground around it, the orbits that can pass overhead, and the geostationary belt seen from here.

position34.052° N, 118.244° WGeoNames (geonames.org) — CC BY 4.0
population3,820,914 inhabitantsGeoNames (geonames.org) — CC BY 4.0

On the ground within 1000 km

Launch sites — 38 within 1000 km

sitedistance · bearingpositionsource layer
Naval Missile and Astronautics Center, Point Mugu, California81 km W (276°)34.120° N, 119.120° Wgcat-sites
Edwards AFB, California103 km NNE (23°)34.900° N, 117.800° Wgcat-sites
Mojave Spaceport, California111 km N (5°)35.049° N, 118.136° Wgcat-sites
San Clemente Island, Pacific Missile Range, California128 km S (191°)32.920° N, 118.500° Wgcat-sites
SLBM and Air Launch Area, Western Test Range, Pacific Ocean136 km SSW (211°)33.000° N, 119.000° Wgcat-sites
San Nicolas Island, Pacific Missile Range, California147 km SW (233°)33.250° N, 119.500° Wgcat-sites
Friends of Amateur Rocketry, Randsburg, California149 km NNE (15°)35.348° N, 117.809° Wgcat-sites
Cuddeback Dry Lake drop zone, California154 km NE (35°)35.180° N, 117.270° Wgcat-sites
Naval Ordnance Test Station, China Lake, California196 km NNE (30°)35.580° N, 117.170° Wgcat-sites
Leach Spring, Camp Irwin, California198 km NE (45°)35.300° N, 116.700° Wgcat-sites
Naval Missile Facility, Point Arguello, California225 km WNW (287°)34.620° N, 120.600° Wgcat-sites
South Vandenberg AFB, California227 km WNW (287°)34.630° N, 120.610° Wgcat-sites
South Base, Vandenberg Space Force Base, California227 km WNW (287°)34.630° N, 120.610° Wgcat-sites
Vandenberg AFB, California231 km WNW (290°)34.750° N, 120.620° Wgcat-sites
Vandenberg Space Force Base, California231 km WNW (290°)34.750° N, 120.620° Wgcat-sites
… and 23 more within 1000 km

Ground stations and transmitting sites — 2 within 1000 km

sitedistance · bearingpositionsource layer
DSN Goldstone197 km NE (39°)35.427° N, 116.890° Wsignals
Nevada Test Site394 km NNE (29°)37.120° N, 116.060° Wnuclear-tests

Announced launches (their pads) — 25 within 1000 km

sitedistance · bearingpositionsource layer
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer E227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-39227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Starlink Group 17-51227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 2 Transport Layer A227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer A227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer C227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Tracking Layer E227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer A227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer D227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 1 Transport Layer F227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Transporter 18 (Dedicated SSO Rideshare)227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | SDA Tranche 2 Transport Layer E227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Rivada 1227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Rivada 10227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
Falcon 9 Block 5 | Rivada 11227 km WNW (287°)34.632° N, 120.611° Wlaunchlibrary
… and 10 more within 1000 km

Nuclear detonations — 941 within 1000 km

sitedistance · bearingpositionsource layer
AGOUTI353 km NNE (33°)36.700° N, 116.100° Wnuclear-tests
FAWN359 km NNE (27°)36.920° N, 116.420° Wnuclear-tests
BIT A-B361 km NNE (29°)36.870° N, 116.270° Wnuclear-tests
SARDINE/BARRACU362 km NNE (29°)36.900° N, 116.300° Wnuclear-tests
WISHBONE363 km NE (34°)36.720° N, 115.940° Wnuclear-tests
DILUTED WATERS367 km NNE (32°)36.830° N, 116.060° Wnuclear-tests
PAJARA367 km NNE (24°)37.060° N, 116.570° Wnuclear-tests
PURPLE369 km NNE (30°)36.900° N, 116.150° Wnuclear-tests
MALLET370 km NNE (31°)36.890° N, 116.120° Wnuclear-tests
SMALLBOY371 km NE (34°)36.800° N, 115.925° Wnuclear-tests
PINSTRIPE371 km NNE (33°)36.820° N, 115.960° Wnuclear-tests
NEWPOINT371 km NNE (33°)36.820° N, 115.960° Wnuclear-tests
AUGER372 km NNE (28°)37.000° N, 116.310° Wnuclear-tests
BUGGY A-E372 km NNE (26°)37.030° N, 116.380° Wnuclear-tests
SULKY372 km NNE (28°)37.000° N, 116.300° Wnuclear-tests
… and 926 more within 1000 km

Distances are great-circle on a sphere of mean radius 6,371 km; bearings are initial true bearings from the city. Each position is the source catalogue's own, read back from the registry.

What can pass overhead

Of the 23,251 artificial objects the registry places in Earth orbit on 2026-10-18, 20,202 fly orbits whose ground track reaches 34.052° N, so they can pass directly overhead; the other 3,049 never reach this latitude.

space stationinclinationcan pass overhead
Bai Xiang85.0°yes
International Space Station (+3 docked records)51.6°yes
Kosmos-38255.9°yes
Tianhe41.5°yes

Computed: an orbit's equatorial inclination bounds the latitudes its track reaches (inclination i, or 180° − i when retrograde), from the orbital elements the registry holds. «Can pass overhead» is geometry, not a schedule — when, and whether it is lit and visible, depends on the hour.

The geostationary belt from here

The geostationary belt arcs across the southern sky and stands 50.4° above the horizon due south — the elevation to aim at for a satellite at this city's own longitude. Computed: spherical Earth (equatorial radius 6,378.137 km), circular orbit of one sidereal day (42,164 km); good to a few tenths of a degree.

What this page does not know