Tonight marks the launch of the private Antares rocket, a supply ship headed to the International Space Station (ISS).
The launch takes place at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility and Virginia's Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport tonight, October 27, at 6:45 p.m. EST.
Antares carries a Cygnus capsule full of over 5,000 pounds of scientific equipment, food, supplies and tools for the ISS. Orbital Sciences currently has a contract with NASA for eight such missions: this is the third.
So far, the weather in Virginia is clear, perfect for a launch, and NASA does not expect any problems or delays.
Public viewing of the Antares' launch is available at the Wallops Visitors Center, as well as at the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and Assateague Island National Seashore.
Other sites for public viewing in Virginia are also available: the full list is here.
However, those living on the East Coast should see Antares as it launches towards the ISS.
"You'll be able to see the rocket pretty much up and down the entire Eastern Seaboard there from about Connecticut to South Carolina," says Sarah Daugherty, NASA's test director at Wallops.. "We'll have a great view of Antares lighting up the night sky."
For others, NASA TV will show the launch online via NASA TV, starting at 5:45 p.m. EST. The agency will also broadcast all post-launch briefings, as well as Cygnus' arrival at the ISS.
However, the rocket isn't the only thing you'll see tonight. For those in the Mid-Atlantic, the ISS will be visible near the northwest horizon shortly after the Antares launch. For others, wanting to see the ISS, check NASA's Spot The Station website for dates and times that the station is visible.
After launch, Cygnus will spend about a week in orbit before it arrives at the ISS on November 2. The station's robotic arm will grab the spacecraft and pull it into dock, where astronauts will unpack its goods and fill it with trash. This process will take around a month. After Cygnus is released from the ISS, it will orbit for a few more weeks and then head into Earth's atmosphere, where it will break up.
Orbital Sciences isn't the only private company with a NASA contract for resupplying the space station. Elon Musk's Space X has a contract with the agency for 12 similar missions with their Dragon capsule. Unlike Cygnus, though, Dragon is re-usable, so instead of burning up in the Earth's atmosphere, it will return to Earth intact.
