WALLOPS ISLAND, VA—NASA is set to launch three sounding rockets as part of the Turbulent Oxygen Mixing Experiment Plus (TOMEX+) mission, aimed at studying turbulence in the mesopause, the frigid upper layer of Earth’s atmosphere. The launch window will open at 10 p.m. EDT on Monday, August 25, 2025, and run through 3 a.m. Tuesday, according to a recent update from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility.
The mission, led by Jim Clemmons, a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of New Hampshire, will investigate the mesopause, which spans 53 to 65 miles above Earth. This region, where temperatures can plummet to minus 148 degrees Fahrenheit, is critical for understanding how weather patterns transfer energy into space, affecting satellite drag and high-altitude cloud formation. The mesopause’s location—too high for weather balloons and too low for satellites—makes sounding rockets the ideal tool for this research.
The TOMEX+ mission will deploy three rockets from Wallops Island. The first two, launched within a minute of each other, will release colorful vapor tracers to map wind patterns, while the third, launched five minutes later, will use a lidar instrument to track atmospheric motions by exciting a sodium layer with a specialized laser. This approach promises the clearest 3D view yet of turbulence at the edge of space, potentially offering insights into atmospheric processes on other planets.
Residents in the mid-Atlantic region, including parts of Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and North Carolina, may catch a glimpse of the rockets, weather permitting. A visibility map indicates the rockets will be visible within seconds of launch, with green zones (0-10 seconds) closest to the site, blue zones (10-30 seconds) extending further, and purple zones (30-40+ seconds) reaching the farthest points.
The Wallops Visitor Center will remain closed for launch viewing but will maintain normal operating hours. Live updates and a livestream will begin five minutes before launch on the Wallops YouTube channel.
The launch window, initially set to open on August 18, has been adjusted due to weather and sea state conditions, with the new date of August 25 marking the next attempt. The mission window extends through September 3, with further updates to be posted on social media and the Wallops Range blog.
