UPDATE: The launch has been postponed until at least Dec. 13 due to unsettled weather conditions, according to Rocket Lab.
If skies stay clear, a rocket scheduled to lift off in Virginia on Friday evening will be visible above New Jersey for as long as two minutes.
Rocket Lab USA’s first Electron rocket is slated to be launched from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility at 6 p.m., officials said. The launch window runs from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. If the launch doesn’t take place Friday, there are backup launch days from Saturday through Dec. 20.
The launch might be visible from New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, most of the east coast and part of the midwest shortly after liftoff. Viewers in North Jersey and Central Jersey would be able to see the 59-foot-tall Electron rocket for 90 seconds to two minutes. Skywatchers in South Jersey would have a 60- to 90-second window to view it.
The mission, named “Virginia is for Launch Lovers,” will deploy radio frequency monitoring satellites for HawkEye 360, a radio frequency data analytics company.
The liftoff is slated for Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island.
However, the weather forecast in both Virginia and New Jersey could stop plans to see the rocket on Friday. There is a 40% chance of rain on Wallops Island on what will be a mostly cloudy day, the National Weather Service said Tuesday.
If the rocket is launched, skies in New Jersey might not be clear enough to see it. Forecast models are mixed on how much cloudy cover there will be and when rain will start on Friday afternoon or evening.
Whenever the launch does take place, a live webcast will be available at www.rocketlabusa.com/live-stream beginning about 40 minutes before take off.
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Jeff Goldman may be reached at jeff_goldman@njadvancemedia.com.
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