NASA Rocket Launch May Be Visible In New York: What To Know

NEW YORK, NY — NASA is scheduled to launch a Black Brant XII sounding rocket from their Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia at 7:58 p.m. Friday, and there is a chance that residents along the Eastern Seaboard — including those in New York — will be able to watch it streak by.

So far, the local forecast is not cooperating, with mostly cloudy skies expected during the window when the rocket could be seen locally. With rain forecast for the mid-Atlantic, there is also a chance the launch will be scrapped. NASA has several other potential launch windows scheduled between now and May 16.

If the skies clear up and the launch goes off without a hitch, turn your head to the sky roughly 30 to 60 seconds after the scheduled 7:58 p.m. launch. The rocket is supposed to release vapor when it hits an altitude of 200 miles as part of an experiment.