A new laser-ranged satellite for General Relativity and space geodesy: I. An introduction to the LARES2 space experiment

TL;DR

LARES 2 is a planned satellite mission aimed at high-precision tests of General Relativity, especially frame-dragging, and improvements in space geodesy, representing an advancement over previous experiments like LAGEOS 3.

Contribution

This paper introduces the LARES 2 satellite, an improved experimental platform for testing General Relativity and space geodesy with higher accuracy than previous missions.

Findings

Planned launch in 2019 using VEGA C rocket.

Aiming for frame-dragging measurement accuracy of a few parts in a thousand.

Enhanced capabilities over the previous LAGEOS 3 experiment.

Abstract

We introduce the LARES 2 space experiment recently approved by the Italian Space Agency (ASI). The LARES 2 satellite is planned for launch in 2019 with the new VEGA C launch vehicle of ASI, ESA and ELV. The orbital analysis of LARES 2 experiment will be carried out by our international science team of experts in General Relativity, theoretical physics, space geodesy and aerospace engineering. The main objectives of the LARES 2 experiment are gravitational and fundamental physics, including accurate measurements of General Relativity, in particular a test of frame-dragging aimed at achieving an accuracy of a few parts in a thousand, i.e., aimed at improving by about an order of magnitude the present state-of-the-art and forthcoming tests of this general relativistic phenomenon. LARES 2 will also achieve determinations in space geodesy. LARES 2 is an improved version of the LAGEOS 3 experiment, proposed in 1984 to measure frame-dragging and analyzed in 1989 by a joint ASI and NASA study.