NASA/Bill Ingals

After a few mechanical and meteorological delays, the launch of the Antares rocket from Wallops Island, Va. is back on. The Antares, built by Vienna-based Orbital Sciences Corporation, is designed to deliver materials the International Space Station, joining the Florida-based SpaceX Dragon as privately funded spacecraft servicing the space station.

Today’s launch will propel a test model of the Antares to an altitude of 256 kilometers above the surface of the Earth. The launching engine will fire for four minutes, climbing 113 kilometers, at which point the Antares will separate and continue on an unpowered trajectory for 93 seconds. Following that, secondary rockets will burn until the craft reaches its destination altitude.

The launch is slated to take place between 5 and 7 p.m. And while the sequence will be broadcast on NASA’s website, the launch window gives East Coast residents ample opportunity to view the flight directly. The Antares’ trail should be visible in D.C. about three minutes into the launch, while the expected viewing area is expected to encompass much of the mid-Atlantic, including northeastern North Carolina, eastern Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, southern Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York City, and Long Island.

NASA

Antares, which could enter actual service to the International Space Station as soon as August, will take off from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport, a launchpad for privately funded spacecraft located on NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. And though the launch was delayed on Thursday following the dislodging of an umbilical cable, and again yesterday because of unfavorable weather, NASA gives today’s launch an 80 percent chance of happening. Only surface winds might prevent liftoff.

But assuming everything goes smoothly and nature cooperates, head outside between 5 and 7 p.m., and look up!