Glory Launch Gets Another Go

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NASA will try again to launch its “climate change satellite” on Friday, following an attempt that was scrubbed on Feb. 23 due to technical issues with ground support equipment for the Taurus XL launch vehicle, shown at right.

The March 4 liftoff is targeted for just after 2 a.m. local time at the Vandenberg Air Force Base in California (5:09:43 a.m. eastern).

Two instruments aboard Glory will help address influences on Earth’s climate. The Total Irradiance Monitor led by Greg Kopp at the Boulder, Colorado-based Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics will continue a decades-long measurement of the sun’s energy reaching Earth, and Raytheon’s Aerosol Polarimetry Sensor will track aerosols in Earth’s atmosphere. See a more detailed story about the mission.

NASA will stream coverage of the launch starting at 3:30 a.m. eastern time on March 4. Real-time updates of countdown and launch milestones will also be posted on NASA’s launch blog.

Source: NASA announcement via Eurekalert!