Space Station-Bound Rocket Launch Will Be Visible From NoVA, DC

WALLOPS ISLAND, VA — People in Northern Virginia, Washington, D.C. and other parts of the eastern United States might be able to catch a glimpse of a rocket that is scheduled for launch on Saturday.

The rocket Antares is set for launch at 12:39 p.m. ET from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. It will deliver supplies and other science items to the International Space Station after a day-and-a-half-long journey, according to NASA.

The agency said the best viewing spots will be on Chincoteague Island in eastern Virginia or along Atlantic beaches in Virginia and Maryland.

Should the weather cooperate, the launch will be visible for about 60 to 90 seconds in Northern Virginia, D.C. and Baltimore. In southern Maryland and along the Virginia Atlantic coast, the visibility window is longer — about 90 to 120 seconds.

The weather office at the Wallops Flight Facility was "predicting a 75 percent chance of favorable conditions, with southwesterly ground winds being the main concerns for the launch window on Saturday."

If you're in or around Washington, D.C. on Saturday, sunny skies and a high near 49 will provide peak viewing conditions, according to the National Weather Service. Winds will grow stronger in the afternoon and could gust as high as 41 mph.

Live coverage of the mission is scheduled to begin at about 7:30 a.m. Saturday on the Wallops IBM video site. The launch can also be watched on NASA's website.