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Orb-3 to launch from Wallops Island, VA

Orbital Sciences Corp are getting ready to launch another Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus resupply ship to the International Space Station. The spacecraft is on-board the rocket, the rocket is on the pad and, as of this writing, is 98% GO for Monday night’s launch out of NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. Launch is scheduled for 6:45pm EDT.

This photo shows the Antares rocket on the morning of Oct. 25 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s launch Pad-0A at Wallops. Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Joshua Murray
This photo shows the Antares rocket on the morning of Oct. 25 at the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s launch Pad-0A at Wallops. Credit: NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility/Joshua Murray

It’s looking like we’ll have clear skies here in Maryland and should be in for a pretty good show. As always, NASA and Orbital have provided some viewing guides to help you spot the launch.

Get the app & know where to look

There's an app for that, for both iOS and Android. Credit: NASA
There’s an app for that, for both iOS and Android. Credit: NASA

An even better resource is to get What’s Up at Wallops mobile app which will point you in the direction towards the launch pad at Wallops. The app is available for Android and Apple iOS.

While you’re at it, be sure to get the free NASA TV apps for Android and Apple iOS as well. Use these apps to monitor the countdown while you’re heading outside to look. Bear in mind that the streaming to your phone is usually delayed by up to a full minute so don’t count on it for true “real-time” information.

Make sure you can get a clear line of sight to the southeastern horizon. Since this is night launch, you should be able to spot a rapidly moving “star” emerging from the southeast and heading further toward the east. You should be able to see the first stage’s exhaust plume and maybe even see the first stage separation and second stage ignition. To give you a rough idea of the shape of the arc as seen from Maryland, here is a Google Earth mockup of the launch from Baltimore:

What the Antares launch will look like from Fells Point in Baltimore, MD. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.
What the Antares launch will look like from Fells Point in Baltimore, MD. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp.

And for my Physics students, here is a simulation from Towson University:

Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-3 from Towson, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-3 from Towson, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google

And finally, here’s one for my friends & family in the Philly/Springfield PA area:

Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Springfield, PA, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Springfield, PA, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google

And here’s a map that shows the approximate amount of time that will pass after liftoff and when you should be able to start seeing the rocket:

Orb-3 Launch viewing map. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp
Orb-3 Launch viewing map. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp

Orbital Sciences Corp have some additional viewing maps for Orb-3 that show simulated views from Washington DC, Delaware, and Virginia. If you have Google Earth, you can download the .kmz file and view the launch path from your location. For some viewing tips, I’ll refer you to a previous post of a similar ISS resupply mission. Good luck and Go Antares/Cygnus!

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Viewing the Antares Launch, Redux

Yesterday, Orbital Sciences rolled out the Antares rocket to the launch pad, hoping for a launch of Orb-1 to the International Space Station tomorrow. I’ll be heading down to Wallops Island tonight and will be out in the cold watching the launch (yes I know, I’m really taking one for the team here.)

As the trajectory for tomorrow’s launch hasn’t changed, I updated my launch viewing guide with the planned launch window.

Launch is scheduled for tomorrow, January 8 at 1:32pm EST. Hope you get to see it from where you are!

Antares Roll Out to Pad 0A Jan. 5, 2014. Image Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp
Antares Roll Out to Pad 0A Jan. 5, 2014. Image Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp
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View the Antares Launch to International Space Station

Another day, another rocket launch out of the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport. This time it’s an Antares rocket carrying a Cygnus cargo ship up to the International Space Station. Orbital Sciences corp launched a Cygnus to ISS back in September as a demonstration flight, giving NASA and Orbital the experience to take on regular resupply flights to the station, beginning with this week’s launch.

Antares was rolled out to the launch pad last night and there’s a really nice photo set on Flickr you can check out. Launch is currently scheduled for 9:19 pm Eastern time on Thursday, Dec 19, and yours truly will be there to cover it because they gave me press credentials (does happy dance).

Now keep in mind that NASA are currently working a cooling pump problem aboard the space station. They’re not sure if they can limp along with  a backup system or if they will need to do a spacewalk to make repairs. If they decide to go ahead with an EVA, this launch could be postponed again, so stay tuned.

Viewing the Launch

Orbital has a page set up with maps showing where and when viewers should expect to be able to spot Antares as it ascends. Here’s a map to give you an idea of when you’ll be able to spot the launch from your location:

Orb-1 Launch viewing map. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp
Orb-1 Launch viewing map. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp

Be sure to check out their page as they have several visualizations from New York, Philly, Baltimore, Washington DC, and Norfolk VA, among other places. They also have a Google Earth KMZ file which you can download and use to get an idea of what the launch trajectory will look like from your location. Here’s a few I created:

Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Westminster, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Westminster, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Frederick, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Frederick, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Springfield, PA, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Springfield, PA, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Carobo, NC, looking toward the northeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Antares/Orb-1 from Carrobo, NC, looking toward the northeast. Image credit: Google

What you should expect to see, and when

Antares is a liquid-fuel rocket, which means it should produce a yellow-white colored exhaust arcing quickly across the southeastern sky like what you see in the images above (except at night).

The launch window is from 9:19 – 9:24 pm EST on Thursday (02:19 – 02:24 am GMT Dec. 20)  . 1:32-1:37 pm EST on Wednesday (18:32-18:37 GMT). They’ll try to launch on time at 9:19 1:32 but keep in mind that the farther you are from the launch site, the longer it will take for the rocket to clear the horizon. The images I show above assume a flat horizon all the way to Wallops, and we know that’s not the case. Fortunately, Orbital created a first sighting map to give you some idea of when you should expect to see the rocket clear the horizon (keep in mind though that it would have already moved slightly eastward by the time you pick it up).

Antares is a two-stage rocket, so it will appear to dim and then light up again a little further to the east as the expended stage is jettisoned and the next stage ignites.

Monitor the launch on your smart phone, but watch the timing

If you have a smart phone and a good 3G or 4G signal, you can monitor the countdown on the NASA app for iPhone or on Wallops’ live stream. Android users might want to check out the What’s Up at Wallops app, which contains a compass showing the precise direction for launch viewing.

You can also monitor NASA Wallops on Twitter and Facebook as well to stay on top of the countdown and make sure nothing has been postponed so you can time your viewing just right.

However….

…keep in mind that everything coming down to your tablet or cell phone is probably going to be a minute or so after the fact. If you wait until you hear them say “liftoff” to go outside and look, the rocket may already have reached orbit. Instead, listen to / follow the countdown to make sure the launch time hasn’t changed, and then use your cell phone’s clock to make sure you’re really at L-0, *then* look toward Wallops!

Watch with friends to increase your chances of actually seeing it

Even at night, the rocket may be hard to spot, especially if this is your first time. Haze, aircraft, and all kinds of things can be in the field of view to confuse you even more. If you’re with a small group of people, chances are that one of you will be able to spot it and point it out for the rest. Watch with friends to increase your chances!

Good luck!

Watching and tracking rocket launches is challenging and fun, especially at night. Hopefully the weather from your location will cooperate and you get to see an amazing show. Good luck!

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Spot the Minotaur Launch

This coming Tuesday, November 19, the US Air Force will be launching a Minotaur I rocket from te Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport at NASA’s Wallops Island, VA flight facility. The mission, called Minotaur I/ORS-3, will be carrying twenty-nine (yes, 29!) satellites into orbit. Best of all, it’s going to be a night launch so it should be very visible to everyone in the Eastern United States.

The launch is being carried out by Orbital Sciences Corp, and they have a handy page set up with maps showing where and when viewers should expect to be able to spot Minotaur as it ascends. Here’s a map to give you an idea of when you’ll be able to spot the launch from your location:

ORIS-3 Launch viewing map. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp
ORIS-3 Launch viewing map. Credit: Orbital Sciences Corp

Their site has several simulated ground views of where the rocket should appear from various locations such as Washington DC, Raleigh NC, Philadelphia PA, Liberty Park New Jersey, and New York City among others.

Since I live in none of those places, I downloaded their Google Earth kmz file and created some visualizations for myself and my friends. Here’s a simulated view from my house in Westminster, MD:

Simulated launch track of Minotaur 1/ORS-3 from Westminster, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Minotaur 1/ORS-3 from Westminster, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google

Here’s a view from Frederick, MD:

Simulated launch track of Minotaur 1/ORS-3 from Frederick, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Minotaur 1/ORS-3 from Frederick, MD, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google

And here’s a view from Springfield, PA for my Delco peeps:

Simulated launch track of Minotaur 1/ORS-3 from Springfield, PA, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google
Simulated launch track of Minotaur 1/ORS-3 from Springfield, PA, looking toward the southeast. Image credit: Google

What you should expect to see, and when

The Minotaur is a solid-fuel rocket, which is ideal for viewing at night because it produces an orange/red “flamey” tail that’s relatively easy to spot. “Relatively” is the key word here because at the locations I’ve chosen, the rocket will appear as a tiny red dot moving quickly across the southeastern sky in an arc like what you see in the images above (except at night).

The launch window is from 7:30 – 9:30 pm on Tuesday. Naturally, they’ll try to launch at 7:30 but keep in mind that the farther you are from the launch site, the longer it will take for the rocket to clear the horizon. The images I show above assume a flat horizon all the way to Wallops, and we know that’s not the case. Fortunately, Orbital created a first sighting map to give you some idea of when you should expect to see the rocket clear the horizon (keep in mind though that it would have already moved slightly eastward by the time you pick it up).

Minotaur is a four stage rocket, so it will appear to dim and then light up again a little further to the east as the expended stage is jettisoned and the next stage ignites.

Monitor the launch on your smart phone, but watch the timing

If you have a smart phone and a good 3G or 4G signal, you can monitor the countdown on the NASA app for iPhone or on Wallops’ live stream. Android users might want to check out the What’s Up at Wallops app, which contains a compass showing the precise direction for launch viewing[1. Sadly, there’s no iPhone version for that yet. Grrr….].

You can also monitor NASA Wallops on Twitter and Facebook as well to stay on top of the countdown and make sure nothing has been postponed so you can time your viewing just right.

However….

…keep in mind that everything coming down to your tablet or cell phone is probably going to be a minute or so after the fact. If you wait until you hear them say “liftoff” to go outside and look, the rocket may already have reached orbit. Instead, listen to / follow the countdown to make sure the launch time hasn’t changed, and then use your cell phone’s clock to make sure you’re really at L-0, *then* look toward Wallops!

Watch with friends to increase your chances of actually seeing it

Even at night, the Minotaur may be hard to spot, especially if this is your first time. Haze, aircraft, and all kinds of things can be in the field of view to confuse you even more. If you’re with a small group of people, chances are that one of you will be able to spot it and point it out for the rest. Watch with friends to increase your chances!

Good luck!

Watching and tracking rocket launches is challenging and fun, especially at night. Hopefully the weather from your location will cooperate and you get to see an amazing show. Good luck!