NASA nighttime rocket launch to create artificial clouds scrapped again; next attempt on Saturday

New Delhi: NASA has once again scrapped the launch of a rocket scheduled for Tuesday night, June 20, from Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia, because of bad weather.

The launch of a Terrier-Improved Malemute sounding rocket that will create artificial, colourful clouds in space has now been rescheduled for Saturday, June 24, with a launch window between 9:07 and 9:22 p.m. EDT.

Live coverage of the mission begins at 8:30 p.m. on the Wallops Ustream site. A Facebook live begins at 8:50 p.m.

As per NASA, the multi-canister ampoule ejection system being tested on this mission will allow scientists to gather information over a much larger area than previously able during a sounding rocket mission to study the ionosphere or aurora.

Canisters will deploy during the rocket’s ascent and they will release blue-green and red vapor to form artificial clouds between 4 and 5.5 minutes after launch, NASA added.

These clouds, or vapor tracers, that will allow scientists on the ground or by aircraft to visually track particle motions in space, may be visible along the mid-Atlantic coastline from New York to North Carolina.