(Nature) After nearly 14 years in limbo, an Earth-monitoring spacecraft built by NASA is finally set to fly.
The Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR), scheduled to launch as soon as January 29, will constantly observe Earth's sunlit side from a distance of 1.5 million kilometres. It will track daily weather patterns and seasonal vegetation changes, monitor atmospheric pollution and make the most precise measurements yet of how much energy Earth throws out into space—crucial data for the improvement of global climate models.
