Thursday's NASA Rocket Launch Visible In NJ Skies: See When

NEW JERSEY — A rocket soaring through the skies on its way to deploy satellites in space will be visible across the Garden State on Thursday evening, if weather conditions are right.

Rocket Lab USA launched its first Electron rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility earlier this year and is targeting a new launch date this Thursday. The rocket's path will be visible on most of the East Coast, said NASA.

This next launch of the 59-foot-tall rocket will take place from Launch Complex 2 at Virginia Space’s Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport on Wallops Island. It was originally scheduled for Saturday, March 11, but was postponed due to weather.

The targeted scheduled launch time is now Thursday, March 16 from 6-8 p.m., said NASA Wallops. Weather is 90 percent favorable for this launch window.

NASA said the mission is a dedicated launch for Capella Space, a satellite manufacturer and Earth observation company.

Just like for its first launch in January, much of the East Coast should be able to see the Electron as a bright point of light moving through the sky if Mother Nature doesn't interfere — click here to look at an AccuWeather map of cloud coverage.

Southern New Jersey residents could see the rocket for up to 90 seconds, NASA said. And those in North and Central Jersey might see it for 90-120 seconds after takeoff — if skies are clear enough.

The two-hour launch window begins at 6 p.m. and lasts until 8 p.m. (weather permitting; Wallops Flight Facility will provide any updates on Facebook).

This project is named “Stronger Together,” said NASA.

Officials have not said what the rocket will look like from New Jersey; the last Electron was said to "appear like a bright, fast-moving star climbing upward through the night sky."

The launch can also be viewed online through Rocket Lab’s livestream of the event, which will begin about 40 minutes before the opening of the launch window.

Overall, Rocket Lab says it has launched 33 of its Electron rockets to date and successfully deployed 155 satellites.

The rocket is touted as the "only reusable small launch vehicle" by maker Rocket Lab USA.

"Electron’s unique Kick Stage is designed to deliver small satellites to precise and unique orbits, whether flying as dedicated or rideshare," said the manufacturer.