Wallops Rocket Launch First Of Several Upcoming

Wallops Rocket Launch First Of Several Upcoming
Wallops

WALLOPS ISLAND — Continuing a recent trend of increased activity at NASA’s Wallops Island Flight Facility, another rocket was successfully launched early Thursday morning with two more expected to go up almost simultaneously next Monday.

Around 5:30 a.m. on Thursday, NASA successfully launched a Terrier-Improved Orion sounding rocket from its flight facility at Wallops Island just south of Assateague. The rocket was carrying experiments built by university instructors and students from around the country, many of whom were on hand to witness the launch. The experiments were carried to an altitude of 73 miles before descending by parachute harmlessly into the ocean. The payload was then recovered and the students began analyzing the data collected.

Wallops’ next launch event is scheduled for Monday. Weather and conditions permitting, two rockets will launch just 15 seconds apart in support of the Daytime Dynamo experiment, which is a joint effort between NASA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, or JAXA.

The first rocket scheduled for launch on Monday is a single-stage Black Brant V, which will collect data on the neutral and charged particles it travels through. About 15 seconds later, the second rocket, a two-stage Terrier-Improved Orion will go up and shoot out a long trail of lithium gas to track how the upper atmospheric wind varies with altitude.

Since the launch, will be during the day, the lithium trails will not be highly visible to the naked eye. However, the two simultaneous launches on Monday should be visible for the public in the Wallops area and throughout the mid-Atlantic region. The rockets are set for launch between 9:30 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. on Monday. The backup dates are June 28 and from June 28 to July 8.

Thursday successful launch continues a recent trend of increased launch activity at Wallops for NASA and the private sector. On June 5, a Black Brant XII carrying a Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment, or CIBER, was launched from NASA’s spaceport on the Lower Shore.

In April, Wallops launched its largest rocket ever in its 70-year history when the Antares went up. The 133-foot tall Antares was launched by private sector Orbital Sciences, which has a $1.9 billion contract with NASA to launch rockets and send experiments and supplies to the International Space Station, a chore formerly handled by the Space Shuttle program.s they travel from sender to travel through it as well. A disruption in the ionosphere can disrupt these signals. 

The first rocket scheduled for launch is a single-stage Black Brant V, which will collect data on the neutral and charged particles it travels through. The second rocket is a two-stage Terrier-Improved Orion. It will shoot out a long trail of lithium gas to track how the upper atmospheric wind varies with altitude. These winds are believed to be the drivers of the dynamo currents.

Since the launch is during the day, the lithium trails will not be highly visible to the naked eye.

Based on the approved range schedule, the rockets are set for launch between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. June 24. The backup launch days are June 25 and from June 28 to July 8.ere stretches from about 30 to 600 miles above Earth and plays a crucial role in our day-to-day lives. For example, radio waves bounce off it as they travel from sender to receiver, and communications signals from satellites travel through it as well. A disruption in the ionosphere can disrupt these signals. 

The first rocket scheduled for launch is a single-stage Black Brant V, which will collect data on the neutral and charged particles it travels through. The second rocket is a two-stage Terrier-Improved Orion. It will shoot out a long trail of lithium gas to track how the upper atmospheric wind varies with altitude. These winds are believed to be the drivers of the dynamo currents.

Since the launch is during the day, the lithium trails will not be highly visible to the naked eye.

Based on the approved range schedule, the rockets are set for launch between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. June 24. The backup launch days are June 25 and from June 28 to July 8.