Minotaur V Rocket Launch to Moon Visible Friday Night

The launch of NASA's return trip to the moon should be visible Friday night in  Fredericksburg.

The Minotaur V rocket is scheduled to launch from NASA's Wallops Island facility on Virginia's coast, in an effort to collect information from the moon's atmosphere.  The launch window is from 11:27 to 11:31 p.m.

While the mission won't land on the moon, the rocket is designed to orbit it, marking this the first time the Virginia facility will host a launch that streaks beyond the Earth's orbit.

The night launch should make the rocket visible in the Fredericksburg area, Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and much of the Northeast. The National Weather Service predicts sunny days and mostly clear nights in our region for the rest of this week through Saturday.

To see the rocket, NASA advises:

"As a reference, when you look at your fist with your arm fully outstretched, it spans approximately 10 degrees. Thus, if you are in Washington, DC, the highest point the Minotaur V will reach is approximately 13 degrees above the horizon, or just slightly more than a fist's width."

The rocket will be operated by a Virginia corporation, Orbital Sciences of Dulles.

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