NASA Rocket That’ll Be Visible Across New York State Now Set To Launch Friday May 14th
Over the last week, night after night, NASA has cancelled a potential rocket launch from Virginia that we would see here in Upstate New York. The next launch window is coming up on Friday, May 14.
NASA is set to launch a “Black Brant XII sounding rocket” from their Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia Friday, May 14 at 8:02PM. If Mother Nature plays nice for us, the launch should be visible all across the eastern seaboard.
If you are hoping to catch a glimpse of the rocket on Friday evening, it should be visible to our southeast between 30-60 seconds after launch (assuming the launch goes off on time at 8:02 p.m)."
According to CBS Boston, New York State should be able to watch the launch 30 - 60 seconds after it launches. We should be able to see a streak in the sky around 8:03PM. Of course, weather is a factor.
As of right now, the National Weather Service out of Binghamton is reporting for Friday night: A slight chance of showers before 9PM. Mostly clear, with a low around 42.
If we keep our fingers crossed, we may see the launch. NASA has postponed this launch several times over the last week. Today's launch was cancelled due to the following:
The Black Brant XII launch scheduled for May 12 has been postponed to provide time for inspection of the rocket after the vehicle came in contact with a launcher support during today’s preparations."
What Is The NASA Mission Anyways?
The mission is called KiNet-X. The main goal is to study how energy and momentum is transported between regions of space that are connected magnetically.
This study will help scientists better understand things like Auroras and how they are formed and their movement from place to place.
The mission will be launched on The Black Brant XII-A four stage rocket with a Talos first stage, Terrier second stage, Black Brant third stage and a Nihka fourth stage. The Black Brant can launch payloads weighing from 300 to 1000 pounds. You can read more on the mission here.