NASA rocket launch puts on a show over Hatteras Island

Evening beachgoers on Tuesday, August 1, caught a stellar show over Hatteras Island, as a rocket that was launched from the NASA Wallops Flight Facility in eastern Virginia was clearly visible from multiple locations along the Outer Banks.

The Northrop Grumman Cygnus resupply spacecraft successfully launched at 8:31 p.m. on Tuesday from the Mid-Atlantic Regional Spaceport’s Pad 0A on Wallops Island, Virginia, which is approximately 200 miles away from Hatteras Island.

The rocket is on its way to the International Space Station and is carrying more than 8,200 pounds of science investigation materials, supplies, and equipment.

This is Northrop Grumman’s 19th commercial resupply services mission, and the eighth mission under its Commercial Resupply Services 2 contract with NASA.

To learn more about Northrop Grumman and its mission, visit the NASA website.