Minotaur V Rocket Launch: NASA Heads from DC Area Back to the Moon

The rocket, intended to orbit the moon, will be launched from Virginia and should be visible throughout much of DC.

A view of the Minotaur V's predecessor, the Minotaur IV. (Photo courtesty of NASA.)

By Todd Richissin

For NASA, it's back to the moon. Sort of.

In an effort to collect information about the moon's atmosphere, theMinotaur V rocket is set to be launched Sept. 6 from NASA's Wallops Island facility on Virginia's coast.


The night launch should make the rocket visible in Northern Virginia, Washington, DC, and much of the Northeast.

Hope for a clear night: The launch window is from 11:27 p.m. to 11:31 p.m. The weather forecast for Georgetown calls for partly cloudy skies the night of the launch.

Here's what NASA has to say about seeing the rocket:


The idea is to get the small car-sized Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) to orbit the moon "to gather detailed information about the structure and composition of the thin lunar atmosphere and determine whether dust is being lofted into the lunar sky," according to NASA. "A thorough understanding of these characteristics of our nearest celestial neighbor will help researchers understand other bodies in the solar system, such as large asteroids, Mercury, and the moons of outer planets."



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