UPDATE: NASA Goddard Spokesman Says Weather Much Better For Minotaur I Launch Wednesday

UPDATE: June 29: The Office of Communications Lead at NASA Goddard’s Wallops Flight Facility, Keith Koehler, said although Minotaur I’s launch was postponed on Tuesday, the weather is supposed to be a whole lot better Wednesday for the launch. He said the cold front is pushed through and the skies will be clearer. “You should be able to see it from the Greenbelt area easily,” he said, adding that in our area and in the Baltimore area, sky watchers should be able to see the tail end of the rocket. So keep your eyes open for a spectacular sight. It's scheduled for blast off at the same time: 8:28 p.m. through 11:28 p.m., weather permitting.

UPDATE: 6:00 p.m. Thunderstorms scrubbed ORS-1's launch via Minotaur I for Tuesday night. But NASA-Goddard has rescheduled it for tomorrow night, weather permitting, at the same time: 8:28 p.m. through 11:28 p.m. EDT. So you may not have long to wait.

Original Post: NASA-Goddard will provide the site and communications needs for a first-ever launch – the blast off of satellite, ORS-1, from atop the Air Force's Minotaur I rocket. If successful, the Department of Defense’s reconnaissance satellite will aid war-fighters in gaining fast and accurate military intelligence and surveillance information.

Standing amidst a sea of monitors and data feeds in NASA-Goddard's Networks Integration Center (NIC) in Greenbelt, Tuesday morning, Scott Greatorex, Chief of Goddard's Networks Integration Management, said Minotaur I was on target to launch Tuesday night.

If the skies are clear, look overhead. Watchers may be able to spot Minotaur I all along the East Coast from Greenbelt to Massachusetts and as far south as North Carolina. It’s set for blast off anywhere from 8:28 p.m. to 11:28 p.m. EDT, weather conditions permitting, from NASA-Goddard's Wallops Flight Facility on Virginia’s eastern shore. NASA-Goddard's Greenbelt facility will be coordinating communications.

You can keep up with the launch status, check NASA Goddard's updates and watch the webcast live, compliments of NASA Goddard.