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UPDATE: The countdown for today's rescheduled launch of an Antares rocket carrying Orbital Sciences' Orbital-1 cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station began at 4:07 a.m. EST this morning. Orbital is targeting a 1:07 p.m. launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport Pad 0A at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia.

Weather permitting, the launch of Antares from Wallops Island, VA is scheduled to occur on January 8, 2014 with a launch window that extends from 1:32 - 1:37 pm EST. Because the launch will occur during the daytime, it will not be as visible as some of our recent nighttime launches from Wallops Island. In addition, because Antares first stage engines are liquid fueled, it will not produce a column of smoke that solid fueled rockets typically produce. As a result, from a distance Antares will appear as a faint bright spot ascending in the sky if viewing conditions are optimal.

The views above give an indication of the direction where you should look to see the launch, along with nearby features. In addition, weather and local conditions can and will have a large effect on what a viewer will see.

These graphics show the trajectory of the Antares rocket as it rises over the horizon and continues on its path toward space. In the graphics, the trajectory appears to dip back toward Earth as the rocket moves further away from the observer and disappears beyond the horizon. The rocket, of course, is not returning to Earth - it is continuing its ascent, speeding higher and faster toward space. During its flight, Antares will jettison its first stage once it has spent all its fuel. This harmlessly breaks up in the atmosphere and falls into the ocean. The second stage, along with the Cygnus spacecraft, is put into a low earth orbit. Once it separates from the second stage, Cygnus will then use its own engines to continue on its mission to the space station.

Credit: Orbital

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NASA Goddard Space Flight Center enables NASA’s mission through four scientific endeavors: Earth Science, Heliophysics, Solar System Exploration, and Astrophysics. Goddard plays a leading role in NASA’s accomplishments by contributing compelling scientific knowledge to advance the Agency’s mission.

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