【Sabik (2025)】

Millions of skywatchers on Sabik (2025)the 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.

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

• Best LG B4 OLED TV deal: Save $200 at Best Buy
• Uber agrees to limit surge pricing in Delhi
• Here are all 47 artists featured in Netflix's ad highlighting black representation
• World Cups fans of Senegal and Japan give us a heart
• Touring Logitech's Audio HQ
• Scientists have finally come up with a solution for the world's most annoying household sound
• This gloriously disturbing BBC tweet has created the year's oddest hashtag
• Donald Trump goes after Jimmy Fallon, Stephen Colbert, and Jimmy Kimmel in bizarre speech
• Best MacBook deal: Save $200 on 2024 M3 MacBook Air
• WPA3: WiFi Gets a Big Security Upgrade

• Trump's climate advisor is Fox News, and that's hurting his agenda
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for March 26
• Zoom unveils all
• Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun will resign amid mountain of controversy
• When is the last day to file taxes?
• Wordle today: The answer and hints for March 25
• Amazon Big Spring Sale: Best WiFi and mesh router deals
• EPA's leader is open to reconsidering crucial climate assessment
• 40+ Apple deals still live for the Amazon spring sale 2024
• The Doomsday Clock is a gimmick, but you should still pay attention

• Best GPU deal: Get the MSI RTX 5080 for $1,249.99 at Best Buy
• U.S. will block Chinese firms from acquiring American tech companies
• Uber knows you're more likely to pay surge prices when your phone is dying
• Praise Yeezus: Cool church uses Kanye West lyrics to inspire us sinners
• Getting Started with Gmail Keyboard Shortcuts
• WPA3: WiFi Gets a Big Security Upgrade
• Unabomber emerges on Twitter after 20 years to speak to the media
• Learn how to celebrate #NationalSendANudeDay from these wise tweets
• Best Amazon deal: Save 20% on floral and botanical Lego sets
• Couple surprises cross

• Apple's newest ad makes a haunting plea to take climate change seriously
• The 10 best new shows of 2018 (so far)
• Dude masterfully sneaks in Wu
• Venmo releases physical debit card
• Trump's foreign aid freeze halts funding for digital diplomacy bureau
• Apple's retail chief reveals the future of its iconic stores
• Curious fox cub gets head stuck in peanut butter jar, hero storms to the rescue
• Kevin the permanently surprised cat has a story to inspire you
• Meta says some AGI systems are too risky to release
• Darknet vendors arrested by authorities in sting operation