If you’re up late Tuesday night, you’ll have a chance to see three rockets streaking across the sky if you’re in New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania or several other eastern states.
NASA plans to launch three sounding rockets within a 5-minute span from the Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia late Tuesday.
The launch was originally scheduled for last week but got postponed because of impacts from Hurricane Erin. A new launch date was set for Monday night, but widespread cloud cover prompted NASA to scrub the launch at about 1 a.m.
NASA says it is now aiming for a Tuesday night launch. The launch window will open at 10:30 p.m., and the latest opportunity will be around 3 a.m.
The first two rockets will launch within one minute of each other, releasing colorful vapor tracers similar to compounds used in fireworks.
These tracers will allow scientists to photograph and map wind patterns in the upper atmosphere, NASA says.
Approximately five minutes later, a third rocket carrying specialized equipment will launch.
The map above shows areas of the United States that will have an opportunity to see the rockets high in the sky.
From New Jersey, viewers will need to look into the south-southeastern sky.
While the Wallops Visitor Center will not be open for public viewing of the rockets, NASA plans to provide a livestream on YouTube, beginning five minutes before the launch.
Current weather radar
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Len Melisurgo may be reached at LMelisurgo@njadvancemedia.com or on X at @LensReality.
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