NASA Rocket Could Be Visible In NYC Skies

NEW YORK CITY — A NASA rocket taking off in Virginia Friday could be visible in New York City's skies as it streaks up the eastern seaboard.

The Black Brant XII rocket is set to blast off at 7:58 p.m. If skies are clear and the launch proceeds as scheduled, look to the southeast about 30 to 60 seconds after launch time.

Weather could be a factor with rain forecast over the D.C. area Friday afternoon into early evening, and rain across NYC in the evening.

The launch is part of the KiNet-X experiment which will release a barium vapor about 9-10 minutes into the flight north of Bermuda at an altitude of more than 200 miles. NASA will be studying the vapor release with diagnostic instrumentation onboard the rocket.

Live coverage of the mission will be available on the Wallops IBM video site beginning at 7:30 p.m. on launch day.