RICHMOND, Va. – You could see the light of a rocket soaring into space Tuesday evening. An Orbital Antares rocket is scheduled to launch from Virginia’s NASA Wallops Flight Facility on the Eastern Shore at 6:22 p.m. The weather shouldn’t be a problem for the launch, so if there are no other technical issues, Richmond’s most likely time to spot it to the east is around 6:25 p.m. Monday’s scheduled launch was postponed due to a boat in the water near the launch zone.
More than 5,000 pounds of supplies are on-board for the International Space Station (ISS). This launch is the third of eight Orbital-contracted resupply flights to the ISS, carrying crew provisions, science experiments, experiment hardware and spare parts.
If you can get a clear view of the eastern horizon, you could see the light of the rocket as it goes through first and second stages (the second stage is usually brighter than the first, and easier to see). Make a fist and hold it above the horizon, and that’s about how high up it will appear to you from Richmond and along much of I-95.
If you have trees, buildings or hills blocking your view, you can still watch the live NASA Television coverage of the launch, which will begin at 5:30PM.
Let me know if you are able to spot the rocket!
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