Antares rocket launch slated for Sunday at NASA Wallops Flight Facility

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. – NASA Wallops Flight Facility is getting ready for an out-of-this-world mission on Sunday. November 6th at 5:50 am, a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket will lift off into space, on the back of a Cygnus spacecraft.

“Twice a year, we launch a Northrop Grumman Antares rocket with a Cygnus spacecraft. They will be returning more than 8,000 pounds of cargo, which includes food, experiments, other things the astronauts up in the Space Station need,” said NASA Wallops Flight Facility News Chief, Keith Koehler.

Koehler says the experiments include cell research. Plus, two African countries have satellites on the way up, which are set to be launched from the International Space Station.

“We’ve gone almost 20 years now with astronauts continuously being up in space doing research. So, using the Antares and other commercial providers, NASA sends up experiments to be able to do this,” said Koehler.

Visibility for the launch is looking good, given that the clouds stay away, says Koehler. He adds that if you’re planning on putting your eyes to the sky Sunday morning, be sure to remember that clocks are set back one hour on that same day.