When an object is above the Earth's surface it has gravitational potential energy (GPE). The amount of GPE an object has depends on its mass and its height above the Earth's surface. The weight of an object is the size of the force of gravity pulling the object down. read more
As shown, increasing either mass (M) or height (H) or both will increase the potential energy. The potential energy is completely related to kinetic energy. Kinetic energy = .5MV 2 . read more