The U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has announced that its Glory satellite will be launched on Friday. In a statement, NASA said the liftoff from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, is targeted for 5:09 a.m. local time. The Glory mission will improve NASA's understanding of how the sun and tiny atmospheric particles called aerosols affect Earth's climate. Glory also will extend a legacy of long-term solar measurements needed to address key uncertainties about climate change. It will join a fleet called the Afternoon Constellation or “A-train” of satellites. Glory will carry new technology designed to unravel some of the most complex elements of the Earth system. Glory will fly in a low-Earth orbit at an altitude of 438 miles, about the distance from Boston to Washington. After launch, mission operators will conduct verification tests for 30 days and then begin to collect data for at least three years.