CLEVELAND — UPDATE: NASA postponed the launch of the rocket again to Friday, May 14.
Anyone living in Northeast Ohio will be able to see the fifth attempt of the launch of NASA’s Black Brant XII sounding rocket carrying the KiNET-X payload, according to NASA.
The launch has been rescheduled for Wednesday at 7:59 p.m. at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia after it's been postponed every day since Saturday due to upper-level winds not being within the required limits for a safe launch, NASA said.
If the launch happens Wednesday, it will provide a brief light show within seconds of the launch for residents in the eastern United States and Bermuda.
News 5 Meteorologist Katie McGraw said that if the launch happens, folks in Northeast Ohio should be able to see it thanks to clear skies.
LAUNCH UPDATE 🚀 We're extending tonight's launch window, which now opens at 7:59 pm ET and runs through 8:53 pm. Clouds in Bermuda are a concern, but we're hoping for a break in the weather for our vapor tracer experiment. Live stream begins at 7:40 pm.https://t.co/94r0BlGfI6
— NASA Wallops (@NASA_Wallops) May 12, 2021
The mission, called KiNET-X, is designed to study the problem in space plasmas, namely, how energy and momentum transported between different regions of space are connected.
A four-stage Black Brant XII rocket will be used for the mission. Barium vapor will be released, forming two green-violet clouds that may be visible for about 30 seconds. NASA said the vapor is not harmful to the environment or public health.
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