ASTRONOMY Updated Feb. 11, 2020 1:20 PM
When people hear of a rocket launching from the United States, many may think of Cape Canaveral, Florida. However, a rocket will roar to life from a little-known spaceport along the shores of the mid-Atlantic in the coming days.
An Antares rocket is set lift off from Wallops Island, Virginia, home to a small launch facility along the Atlantic coast of the Delmarva Peninsula. The launch is slated for Friday afternoon at 3:43 p.m. EST.
The launch was originally scheduled for Sunday evening at 5:39 p.m. EST, but just moments before lift off, ground teams decided to postpone due to an issue with the launch pad equipment.
It was re-scheduled for Thursday afternoon, but NASA decided to move the launch to Friday "to take advantage of an improved weather forecast," NASA said in a statement.
People all across the mid-Atlantic may be able to see the glow of the rocket engines as the rocket climbs through the atmosphere on its journey to the International Space Station (ISS).
“The launch may be visible, weather permitting, to residents throughout the mid-Atlantic region and possibly the East Coast of the United States,” NASA said.
Under ideal conditions, major rocket launches like this can be seen as far away as Philadelphia, New York City and Raleigh and Wilmington, North Carolina. However, it may be difficult to spot in the sky since it is happening during the daylight hours, as opposed to the evening hours as originally scheduled.
A dome of high pressure building over the eastern U.S. will promote rain-free weather across the region on Friday afternoon.
There is currently an 80% chance for favorable weather conditions at the time of launch on Friday. One concern will be winds from the northwest at 10 to 20 mph with occasionally higher gusts.
Similar weather is expected for Saturday and Sunday if the launch gets delayed until the weekend.
The only areas that would be able to see launch if it were to happen on Thursday would be those within a few miles of the launch pad at Wallops Island.
Orbital ATK's Antares rocket lifts off from Wallops Island, Va., Sunday, Nov. 12, 2017. The rocket is carrying cargo to the International Space Station. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
Folks stepping outside to see the rocket should look for a yellow or orange ball of light in the sky in the direction of Wallops Island. It will not be blinking and will slowly glide through the sky as it rockets into space.
In this long exposure photo released by NASA, the Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with Cygnus resupply spacecraft onboard, is seen above the Thomas Jefferson Memorial as it launches from Pad-OA Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Va. (Joel Kowsky/NASA via AP)
Major launches like this happen only a few times per year from Wallops Island, so people across the region should be sure to set an alarm so they can take advantage of the opportunity to see a rocket launch from their backyard.
The next Antares launch from the Wallops Flight Facility isn’t scheduled until October, according to SpaceFlightNow.
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The Antares rocket will be launching an uncrewed spacecraft to the ISS that will deliver 8,000 pounds of supplies, hardware and scientific experiments to the astronauts and cosmonauts aboard the station.
“These resupply missions help NASA deliver critical research to the orbiting lab and increase its ability to conduct new investigations,” NASA explained. “Investigations studying tissue culturing, bone loss and phage therapy will be launching.”
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