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What's happening around Virginia Beach
Events, jobs, internships, and places worth visiting — including a few things you won't find anywhere else, like watching a rocket launch from your backyard.
Watch a Launch From Your Backyard
Live from NASA todayNASA Rocket to Conduct ‘CT Scan’ of Auroral Electricity
See NASA Wallops update · UPDATE (Feb. 10, 2026): NASA’s Black and Diffuse Auroral Science Surveyor and Geophysical Non-Equilibrium Ionospheric System Science (GNEISS) sounding rocket
Where to look
NNE, about 80 miles away
Wallops Island launches are visible from Virginia Beach only for larger rockets, and only when the trajectory cooperates — not guaranteed.
Visibility odds
Fair odds tonight
Tonight's forecast: Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy. Some cloud cover, but you may catch it.
Upcoming & recent Wallops missions
- tbdNASA Rocket to Conduct ‘CT Scan’ of Auroral Electricity— UPDATE (Feb. 10, 2026): NASA’s Black and Diffuse Auroral Science Surveyor and Geophysical Non-Equilibrium Ionospheric System Science (GNEISS) sounding rocket
- scheduledNASA Sounding Rocket Mission Targeting Aug. 26 Launch Attempt— The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission is targeting Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the next launch attempt. The window will open 10:30 p.m.-3:30 a.m. EDT.
- scheduledNASA Sounding Rocket Mission Targeting Aug. 25 Launch Attempt— The TOMEX+ sounding rocket mission is targeting Monday, Aug. 25, for the first launch attempt. The window will open 10 p.m.-3
Pulled live from NASA's own schedule page and refreshed daily.
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NASA's oldest field center, right here in Hampton
NASA Langley Research Center
You can't just walk onto the base, but NASA periodically holds free public open house events with wind tunnels, historic sites, food trucks, and kids' activities. The everyday visitor experience is the Virginia Air & Space Science Center in downtown Hampton — NASA Langley's official visitor center, with 30+ historic aircraft, an Apollo 12 Command Module, and an IMAX theater.
Learn more →NASA Langley's official visitor center in downtown Hampton
Virginia Air & Space Science Center
30+ historic aircraft, an Apollo 12 Command Module, and an IMAX theater — about 35 minutes from Virginia Beach over the water.
Learn more →Watch a real rocket launch from 7 miles away
NASA Wallops Flight Facility
NASA's rocket range on Virginia's Eastern Shore has a free public visitor center with a launch-viewing area, bleacher seating, and live launch-control audio during actual launches. Open to the public Thursday–Saturday, 10 a.m.–3 p.m. It's about a 2.5-hour drive from Virginia Beach, but worth it for launch day.
Learn more →NAS Oceana Air Show — free, and the Blue Angels fly
NAS Oceana
Virginia Beach is home to the Navy's East Coast Master Jet Base. The public draw is the annual free NAS Oceana Air Show, with the Blue Angels performing. The 2026 show is confirmed for September 19–20, with the Blue Angels flying at 3 p.m. both days.
Learn more →Flyable WWI & WWII warbirds on a grass airstrip in Pungo
Military Aviation Museum
A large private museum of flyable vintage warbirds in rural Virginia Beach. Open daily, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. (closed Thanksgiving and Christmas). About $17 for adults, $10 for youth ages 5-13, free for kids 4 and under.
Learn more →Paid NASA summer internship for local students (LARSS)
NASA / National Institute of Aerospace
The Langley Aerospace Research Student Scholars program is a real, paid 10-week NASA summer internship for rising juniors, seniors, and grad students in STEM fields (and some non-STEM support roles). Stipend is roughly $5,000-$6,000; requires a 3.0+ GPA and US citizenship. Hosts 200+ interns a year.
Learn more →Free STEM scholarships, fellowships, and paid internships for VA students
Virginia Space Grant Consortium
Hampton-based nonprofit funded by NASA. Runs the Commonwealth STEM Industry Internship Program (CSIIP), a free portal matching Virginia STEM college students with paid internships statewide — over $7.2M awarded to 1,733+ students and 6,500+ internship placements so far.
Learn more →A major local aerospace employer most residents have never heard of
Analytical Mechanics Associates (AMA)
Founded in 1962, headquartered in Hampton right next to NASA Langley. Holds a NASA Langley research and engineering services contract worth up to roughly $1.5B over 8 years — one of the region's largest aerospace employers.
Learn more →Federal contractor with NASA Langley and Langley Air Force Base work
ASRC Federal
A federal contractor with confirmed work supporting NASA Langley and Air Combat Command at nearby Langley Air Force Base in Hampton.
Learn more →Contractor supporting NASA's Wallops sounding-rocket program
Peraton
Holds the NASA Sounding Rocket Operations Contract — directly relevant to the sounding-rocket launches you can track at Wallops.
Learn more →Volunteer & mutual aid
Neighbors offering help, or asking for it — sandbags, storm cleanup, checking on someone who needs it.
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