WALLOPS ISLAND (Va.) — Tonight (March 21, 2022), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Island Flight Facility is scheduled to launch a sounding rocket with the support of NASA Langley Research Center.
The launch, which is scheduled to take place tonight between 7 and 10 p.m. (with backup launch dates from March 22 through April 1) will send a two-stage suborbital sounding rocket into space. The mission, which is called the Boundary Layer Turbulence 2, or BOLT-2, is meant to gather data to increase understanding of boundary layer transition as well as turbulent heat and drag on vehicles flying at hypersonic conditions. Additionally, the test will allow researchers to compare ground data to actual flight data.
According to a release from NASA Langley Research Center, the BOLT model was heavily tested over the last few years in the Center’s hypersonic 20-inch Mach 6 Tunnel.
This mission is being managed by the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory/U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, which is supported by NASA Langley Research Center.
Tonight’s rocket launch is expected to be visible to most of the Chesapeake Bay region. Residents of the Historic Triangle are expected to have line-of-sight visibility with an elevation of 3 degrees or more approximately 10-30 seconds after launch. Those wishing to watch live from their homes can do so on the NASA Wallops YouTube page.
Additionally, updates regarding the launch will be available on NASA Wallops’ Facebook and Twitter pages.
It is important to note that the NASA Wallops’ visitor center will not be open for viewing the launch.