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Look up for a rocket launch from Virginia on Tuesday night

A rocket is scheduled to launch from the Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia's Eastern Shore during a window from 6-8 pm on Tuesday, Jan 24.. The launch could be visible from the Carolinas to New England.

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Rocket Lab's Electron rocket stands ready on a Virginia launch pad
By
Tony Rice
, NASA Ambassador

Rescheduled from Monday, NASA and New Zealand based rocket builder Rocket Lab plan first launch of the Electron rocket from US. soil.

The launch, scheduled for a window which opens at 6 p.m. EST on Tuesday January 24, may be visible from New England to the Carolinas, with clear skies making that even easier.

The launch weather forecast showed 90% chance of favorable conditions. As of 5:20 p.m., the launch range and weather were both within constraints.

These circular areas show where and when people may see Rocket Lab's Electron launch in the sky, depending on cloud cover.
Image: NASA Wallops/Mission Planning Lab

The rocket will travel from the northeast to the east for observers in central North Carolina. The rocket could launch anytime in that window, so take advantage of the broadcast delay and watch the live stream below provided by Rocket Lab, after liftoff, then head outside to look for it to rise above the horizon about 2 minutes after launch.

The beginning of the launch window, just 30 minutes after sunset, is particularly well timed to make the rocket plume more visible in the evening sky. Don't expect something as prominent as the trails seen from the recent Falcon Heavy launch from Cape Canaveral. The Electron rocket is significantly smaller.

The 59-foot-tall Electron rocket will lift off from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island. The mission, named “Virginia is for Launch Lovers,” will deploy radio frequency monitoring satellites for Herndon, Virginia based HawkEye 360.

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