Orbital ATK is set to launch its first rocket from Wallops Island in Virginia since one exploded on the launchpad two years ago. The launch, slated for 7:40 p.m. Eastern, will be visible from up and down the coast. There will be great views possible from Washington, D.C., at about the one minute, 45 second mark after launch, assuming the weather holds up. It will then get even brighter 54 seconds after that first sighting when the second stage of the rocket kicks in. You can see when it will appear in the map below.
That second stage will carry the Cygnus supply ship on top of the rocket into orbit, where it will meet the International Space Station. The cargo includes supplies for the astronauts and new science experiments, some sent up in packages created by the Texas and D.C.-based NanoRacks. The experiments look at topics like how light affects sleeping patterns, how fire works in space and an investigation into tracking neutrons.
The explosion two years ago, which happened right before Orbital Sciences merged with ATK to form the current company, was blamed on a turbopump failure in of the main engines. Orbital was already in the midst of upgrading its rocket systems and the explosion spurred that along. Orbital started launching rockets again back in December, but couldn't launch on Wallops until recently because of the damage the explosion caused at the facility.
Should you not be able to get out and see the launch outside, you can get the best view by watching NASA's livestream here.
