The SouthCoast Could Get a Glimpse of NASA's Launch This Friday

UPDATE (5-6-2021): NASA has rescheduled the launch to May 8 no earlier than 8:02 p.m. EDT. There will still be a 40-minute launch window and backup launch days will run through May 16. The Weather Channel forecasts cloudy conditions across the SouthCoast for Saturday night, so it's unlikely that residents will be able to see the launch overhead. You can still catch the launch online through the Wallops IBM video site, though.

Keep your eyes to the sky this Friday for a chance to catch a glimpse of NASA's upcoming launch.

The mission, called KiNet-X, will launch from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Friday with the goal of exploring energy transport in space.

The best part? You don't even have to be close to Virginia to see the rocket with your own eyes! In a press release, NASA wrote that the launch may actually be visible in Bermuda and across much of the eastern United States. That means that, given the right weather conditions, we could possibly see the rocket shoot across the SouthCoast skies on Friday night.

So when should we look up? According to NASA, there will be a 40-minute launch window starting at 7:58 p.m., and different parts of the East Coast may be able to see the rocket for different amounts of time. If conditions are optimal, the rocket should be visible across most of Massachusetts for anywhere between 30 and 60 seconds once it appears. However, a small strip along the SouthCoast and into Rhode Island may be able to see the rocket for even longer, potentially up to 90 seconds.

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The only issue when it comes to our chances of spotting the launch here on the SouthCoast will be potential clouds. As of right now, The Weather Channel is forecasting partly cloudy skies for Friday evening that will give way to cloudy skies overnight. Let's hope that as the launch date creeps closer, Mother Nature decides to clear up our skies a little bit and allows us to see this neat spectacle from our own backyards.

In the case that weather impedes our chances of seeing the launch or you're just unable to step outside to watch the sky, you'll be able to catch NASA's launch online through the Wallops IBM video site.