Rocket Launch Will Be Visible In MD On Way To Space Station

MARYLAND — Skywatchers in Maryland, especially in Ocean City and other parts of the Eastern Shore, along with several states along the Atlantic seaboard, should be able to catch sight 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 on the east coast of 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 Baltimore, Northern Virginia, and D.C. 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 Baltimore on Saturday, increasing cloudy skies, a rain chance and a high near 46 will make viewing conditions iffy, according to the National Weather Service. Winds will grow stronger in the afternoon and could gust as high as 47 mph.

But in Ocean City, viewing should be excellent, with the NWS calling for sunny and clear skies, with a high near 47.

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.