NASA | TOMEX+ Rocket launch out of Virginia could be visible in central North Carolina skies

NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) — The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission launch attempt was scrubbed on Sunday and Monday due to cloud cover and high sea states in the recovery area.

NASA is now targeting Tuesday night (Aug. 26) for the first launch. Those in the Mid-Atlantic region, and portions of North Carolina, may catch a glimpse of the rocket, weather permitting.

The window for the launch, from Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia, will start at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

We may be able to see the rocket in Central NC, within 30 to 40 seconds after the launch. However, it will again depend on the weather.

NASA Wallops remained hopeful the skies would clear up and finally called off the launch around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning.

According to NASA, TOMEX+ is a sounding rocket mission to study the mesopause, which is the cold, turbulent boundary between the mesosphere and thermosphere 53-65 miles (85-105km) above Earth.

The mission uses a rocket-borne laser to excite the atmosphere’s sodium layer, creating a fluorescent tracer that maps this turbulence.

This research provides insight into high-altitude cloud formation, satellite drag, and atmospheric processes on other planets.

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