【Jerome Deeds Archives】

Millions of skywatchers on Jerome Deeds Archivesthe U.S. East Coast from South Carolina to Massachusetts may be able to see a rocket launch to the International Space Station (ISS) this weekend.

That is, if Hurricane Nicole -- currently on course to hit Bermuda on Thursday -- gets out of the way in time.

Orbital ATK, which has a contract to transport supplies to the ISS, says it's preparing to launch its two-stage Antares rocket from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia. The flight is slated for Sunday at 8:03 p.m. EDT, although the rough weather may delay the launch until later in the week.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

SEE ALSO: Watch a fiery, close-up view of Blue Origin's launch test

People as far north as Boston and as far south as South Carolina may catch a brief glimpse of what will appear to be a sky-bound shooting star, so long as the night is clear and cloudless, said Kurt Eberly, deputy program manager for Orbital ATK's Antares program.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Eberly said the plan to launch on Sunday could change if Hurricane Nicole, now a Category 2 storm, batters Bermuda in the coming days.

Mashable Light Speed Want more out-of-this world tech, space and science stories? Sign up for Mashable's weekly Light Speed newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

NASA keeps tracking and data-gathering equipment on the island and has had to remove some of its antennas ahead of the storm.

"If the hurricane gets out of there Thursday and passes through, we can reconfigure Friday, test everything Saturday and launch on Sunday," Eberly told Mashable. However, if the storm's progress is delayed, or if it hits the island harder than anticipated, the launch could be postponed.

Nicole already pushed back Orbital ATK's launch plan by about three days. And last week, Hurricane Matthew delayed the plan by a day after heavy rain and lightning strikes prevented crews from performing certain operations inside a processing building in Virginia.

If all goes according to plan, the Antares rocket will carry an uncrewed Cygnus cargo ship into orbit to resupply the ISS on behalf of NASA.

Sunday’s flight will take place nearly two years after Orbital ATK’s launch failure on a similar mission. On Oct. 28, 2014, the rocket exploded just seconds after liftoff, a problem Orbital ATK later traced to the rocket’s first-stage engines.

On the new mission, called CRS OA-5, Cygnus will deliver near 5,350 pounds of cargo for the astronauts in residence at the space station.

Items include personal gadgets such as an iPad Air 2 and a Nikon D4 camera, as well as scientific equipment such as a neuron spectrometer, a spacecraft fire experiment kit and extravehicular activity gear.

• Digital Culture
• Deals
• Entertainment
• Science
• Shopping
• Tech
• Games
• Social Good

• How This Long
• Best Dyson deal: Get the Gen5detect Absolute cordless vacuum for $205 off
• Redux: So Much Loneliness in That Gold by The Paris Review
• The Most Famous Coin in Borges by Anthony Madrid
• Best iPad deal: Save $100 on 13
• Redux: Your Name Means Open by The Paris Review
• I Am the Tooth Fairy by Sabrina Orah Mark
• The False Innocence of Black Pete by Philip Huff
• Best tablet deal: Get the Google Pixel Tablet for $120 off at Amazon
• German Lessons by Margaret Drabble

• There's an amazing easter egg inside the special edition Xbox One X
• Think you hate selfies? The Russian military might ban them.
• Amazon's 'Jack Ryan' is a spy for the Peak TV age
• McDonald's is testing out a McVegan burger in Finland
• The cult of pumpkin spice is so strong that it brought down an entire school in the US
• Say hello to Apple's new iOS 11 emoji
• Watch Claire and Jamie's sexy Outlander reunion in this preview video
• 'Walking Dead' star Andrew Lincoln hates last season's Rick Grimes as much as you do
• Watch the Tesla Model 3 production process in slow motion
• Meryl Streep weighs in on Harvey Weinstein

• 'Mario Kart World' Nintendo Direct: 3 takeaways
• Why is everyone's Spotify Wrapped 'sound town' Burlington, Vermont?
• Spooky Staff Picks by The Paris Review
• Curled Thyme by H. D.
• Auburn vs. Creighton 2025 livestream: How to watch March Madness for free
• The best Netflix movies of 2023
• A Corner Booth by Jill Talbot
• Amazon deals: Gifts that will arrive before Dec. 25
• Trump signs AI education order to train K
• In Russia, the Ultimate Scary Story is about Losing Your Coat by Jennifer Wilson

• Waymo data shows humans are terrible drivers compared to AI
• Senior Night by Jill Talbot
• Fantasy Is the Ultimate Queer Cliché: An Interview with Carmen Maria Machado by Noor Qasim
• Smart vibe Lioness drops year
• Best JBL deal: Save $80 on JBL Xtreme 4 portable speaker
• Keurig Amazon Deal: The Keurig K
• Redux: One Empty Seat by The Paris Review
• Just Enjoy Every Fucking Blessed Breath by Rob Tannenbaum
• Waymo data shows humans are terrible drivers compared to AI
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for December 16