Rocket to launch from Va. to study galaxy creation

Black Brant XII suborbital rocket carrying the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment

WALLOPS ISLAND, Va. – A rocket set to launch from Virginia's Wallops Island Flight Facility will study how the first galaxy was formed.

According to Local 6 News partner Florida Today, NASA says the Black Brant XII suborbital rocket carrying the Cosmic Infrared Background ExpeRiment is scheduled to be launched Tuesday night.

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It will study when the first stars and galaxies formed in the universe and how brightly they burned their nuclear fuel.

The launch will be on a larger and more powerful rocket than previous flights. That should allow it to reach a higher altitude so it can provide for longer observation time for the instruments.

The rocket may be visible to residents in the mid-Atlantic region.

The experiment will splash down in the Atlantic Ocean more than 400 miles off the Virginia coast. It won't be recovered.


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