One of the many benefits of living in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, is that NASA operates a facility in Wallops Island in Virginia. This features rockets from Northrop Grumman and Space X, and when launched at night, a large population of people are in the zone to witness the viewing.  This incudes metro Baltimore, Washington, and even into southern Pennsylvania.

The next mission is worth marking on the calendar for two reasons: It will be in the morning AND right after Daylight Saving Time ends (next Saturday night).  The extra hour of sleep might encourage you to wake up and capture the predawn liftoff. That is if the weather cooperates.

Video of Antares Rocket Night Launch from Wallops Island VA

This was October 4, 2020

According to NASA Wallops Flight Facility

The next cargo resupply mission from Wallops is scheduled for Nov. 6 at 5:50 a.m. EST. The Northrop Grumman Corporation Antares vehicle will deliver science and supplies to the International Space Station aboard the Cygnus spacecraft. 

This viewing map shows visibility of the fire and vapor trail above the horizon

• Less than 1 minute for Ocean City, Salisbury, and southern Maryland 
• 60 to 90 seconds after liftoff in metro Washington, Baltimore, and down to Richmond
• 90 to 120 seconds in PA for York, Philadelphia, MD for Frederick to Frostburg

Live coverage will begin at 5:30 a.m. EST on https://go.nasa.gov/3gpECFs. 

If you’re local, the Wallops Visitor Center will be open at 3:30 am EST on Nov. 6. Viewing locations on Chincoteague Island include Robert Reed Park on Main Street or Beach Road spanning the area between Chincoteague and Assateague Islands. 

More From NASA:

Loaded with approximately 8,200 pounds of research, crew supplies, and hardware, Northrop Grumman’s Cygnus cargo spacecraft will launch on the company’s Antares rocket from Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. It will arrive at the space station on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

NASA TV coverage of rendezvous and capture will begin at 4:30 a.m. EST followed by installation coverage at 7:30 a.m. At about 5:50 a.m., Expedition 68 NASA astronaut Nicole Mann will capture Cygnus, with NASA astronaut Josh Cassada acting as backup. After Cygnus capture, ground commands will be sent from mission control at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston for the station’s arm to rotate and install it on the station’s Unity module Earth-facing port.

A Northrop Grumman Antares rocket, with the company’s Cygnus spacecraft onboard, launches at 12:40 p.m. EST, Saturday, Feb. 19., 2022, from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad-0A, at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. Northrop Grumman’s 17th contracted cargo resupply mission for NASA to the International Space Station is carrying nearly 8,300 pounds of science and research, crew supplies and vehicle hardware to the orbital laboratory and its crew. Credits: NASA Wallops/Patrick Black

Remember This From September?

That Thing In The Saturday Evening Sky

Space X had a rocket launch and it was seen across the entire Mid Atlantic region.  This was the first video I was able to get uploaded to Facebook, and I realize many of you may have missed that. So here it is. I hope you get a chance to see the comments. There are numerous additional videos and photos, I lost count. But more are being added and its amazing to see both the different perspectives and reactions.

Highlights of hardware and space station research facilitated by samples and equipment aboard this Cygnus are:

• a facility and study that attempt to advance the 3D biological printing of human tissue in space
• a study taking advantage of microgravity to better understand catastrophic mudflows that can occur after wildfires
• Uganda and Zimbabwe’s first satellites developed as a part of the BIRDS program, an interdisciplinary project for non-space faring countries
• an investigation into how microgravity influences ovary function
• an experiment that studies if changes space-grown plants undergo to adapt to microgravity can be transmitted through seeds to the next generation
• hardware to be installed outside the station in preparation for the installation of Roll-Out Solar Arrays

The Cygnus spacecraft is scheduled to remain at the space station until late January 2023 when it will depart, disposing of several tons of trash during a destructive re-entry into Earth’s atmosphere.

This Cygnus is dubbed the S.S. Sally Ride in honor of late NASA astronaut, physicist, and first American woman to fly in space, Sally Ride. Ride spent 14 days across two space shuttle missions performing science experiments, making observations of Earth, deploying satellites, and conducting technology demonstrations. She was an advocate for diversity and representation in science and dedicated much of her life to inspiring young people, particularly young women, to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math fields.

Prelaunch Briefing

A prelaunch briefing will be held at 1 p.m. EDT, Saturday, Nov. 5, and may be viewed on NASA Television and the agency’s website. Participants will include:

• Joel Montalbano, manager, International Space Station Program, NASA
• Heidi Parris, associate program scientist for the International Space Station
• Steve Krein, vice president, Civil and Commercial Space, Northrop Grumman
• Kurt Eberly, director, Space Launch Programs, Northrop Grumman
• Roosevelt “Ted” Mercer, Jr., CEO and executive director, Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority
• Jeff Reddish, range chief, NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility

Accredited media may attend the briefing in-person at the NASA Wallops Visitor Center. Media who wish to participate by phone must contact Kiana Raines at [email protected] by noon on Friday, Nov. 4, for dial-in information.

Additionally, media and the public can submit questions on social media using #AskNASA.

NASA TV Coverage

Sunday, November 6:

• 5:30 a.m. – Launch coverage begins
• 5:50 a.m. – Launch window opens

Tuesday, November 8:

• 4:30 a.m. – Rendezvous coverage begins
• 5:50 a.m. – Capture of Cygnus with the space station’s robotic arm
• 7:30 a.m. – Cygnus installation operations coverage

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