Updated on January 23. This story, originally published January 19, has been updated to reflect a new launch date.
NASA postponed by a day a rocket launch planned out of Wallops Island because of weather conditions.
Due to unfavorable weather conditions in the Wallops area on Monday, Jan. 23, @RocketLab 's first Electron launch from Wallops has moved to Tuesday, Jan. 24. Weather for Tuesday is 90% favorable for the 6-8 p.m. EST launch window. https://t.co/zZExgf4IIr
— NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) January 23, 2023
“Virginia Is For Launch Lovers,” Rocket Lab’s first mission from its Launch Complex 2 on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, has been set to launch January 23 at 6 p.m. Now the launch is scheduled for between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. Tuesday, January 24.
NASA says the “weather is 90%” favorable for the launch, which may be visible throughout the region.
The 59-foot-tall Electron rocket will launch from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport within the NASA Wallops Flight Facility. If Tuesday’s launch does not happen, there are backup launch opportunities through early February.
Launch Complex 2 on Wallops Island is Rocket Lab’s first launch site in the U.S., supplementing Rocket Lab’s Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand. The Virginia complex is designed to support up to 12 missions per year.
“With this mission, NASA is helping foster a growing low-Earth space economy and continues Wallops’ 35-year history of support to the commercial launch industry,” said Jeremy Eggers, communication officer for NASA Wallops Flight Facility, in a press release.
“Virginia is For Launch Lovers” is the first of three planned Electron launches, deploying 15 total satellites to monitor radio frequencies for HawkEye360, a Herndon-based geospatial analytics company that uses radio frequency signals to log locations for defense and maritime tracking.
Each of HawkEye360’s next-gen satellites are about the size of a microwave and its Cluster 6 satellites are equipped with eight antennae each to collect a wide variety of radio frequencies and signals.
Weather-permitting, the launch will be visible throughout much of the East Coast. Northern Virginia residents will have the best chance at seeing the launch between 60 to 120 seconds after takeoff.
Space enthusiasts can head to NASA’s Wallops Visitor Center, which will open before the launch at 4 p.m., or drive out to Chincoteague Island for a clear view of the launchpad. Beaches along the Atlantic will also provide good viewing locations, Eggers said.
Rocket Lab will run a live launch webcast, available at rocketlabusa.com/live-stream. The live stream will start around 40 minutes before takeoff.
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