Status of MICROSCOPE, a mission to test the Equivalence Principle in space

TL;DR

MICROSCOPE is a space mission designed to test the Weak Equivalence Principle with unprecedented precision, aiming to improve current constraints by two orders of magnitude and explore potential deviations from General Relativity.

Contribution

This paper provides an overview of the MICROSCOPE mission, its measurement principles, instrument details, and current status, highlighting its potential to advance fundamental physics tests.

Findings

Successful instrument commissioning completed

Mission on track for scheduled 2016 launch

Expected to achieve $10^{-15}$ accuracy in testing the Equivalence Principle

Abstract

MICROSCOPE is a French Space Agency mission that aims to test the Weak Equivalence Principle in space down to an accuracy of $10^{-15}$. This is two orders of magnitude better than the current constraints, which will allow us to test General Relativity as well as theories beyond General Relativity which predict a possible Weak Equivalence Principle violation below $10^{-13}$. In this communication, we describe the MICROSCOPE mission, its measurement principle and instrument, and we give an update on its status. After a successful instrument's commissioning, MICROSCOPE is on track for on-schedule launch, expected in 2016.