NASA Wallops postpones launch to Wednesday

NASA's Wallops Flight Facility has postponed the launch of a sounding rocket from Tuesday to Wednesday.

"The recent weather system along the east coast of the United States prevented vehicle preparations and, thus, has resulted in the one day postponement," the facility said on its website.

The mission is designed to test new technology, with the aim of making future space missions less expensive and less risky, officials say.

The suborbital Black Brant IX sounding rocket is scheduled to take off between 7 and 9 p.m. and may be visible throughout the mid-Atlantic region. If postponed, the launch could be rescheduled up through Oct. 12, according to NASA officials.

The flight is set to test the performance of the Black Brant motor in a two-stage configuration. Scientists also will be testing a new method of fabricating the payload that creates the most forward part in one step. The conventional machined and welded construction process is costly, adds weight and introduces more risk, according to NASA.

Orbital ATK, a private contractor that uses Wallops for International Space Station resupply missions, also will be using the vehicle to test three different materials that could prove valuable in future aerospace and defense products.

Another task for the rocket is to release vapor clouds that incorporate a new ejection system. Such clouds are used to study wind in space and the ionosphere. The new system could allow researchers to study wider areas during future launches, officials say.

The vapor, which is to be released about 130 miles above the Earth, will contain a barium-strontium mixture that produces a cloud with a mix of blue-green and red colors.

The NASA Visitor Center at Wallops will be open at 6 p.m. for launch viewings.