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Relativistic Geodesy pp 467–479Cite as

Tests of General Relativity with the LARES Satellites

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Part of the book series: Fundamental Theories of Physics ((FTPH,volume 196))

Abstract

LARES (LAser RElativity Satellite) developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) is a laser-ranged satellite successfully launched in February 2012 by ESA (European Space Agency). A second ASI laser-ranged satellite, LARES 2, is scheduled for launch by ESA at the end of 2019. Here we describe the main scientific objectives achieved and achievable by LARES and LARES 2, both in General Relativity and in space geodesy and geodynamics. Among the main tests achieved by LARES is a 5% test of frame-dragging, a fundamental and intriguing prediction of General Relativity. The LARES 2 satellite together with the laser-ranged satellite LAGEOS of NASA, is aimed to provide a 0.2% test of frame-dragging together with other relevant tests and determinations in fundamental physics, space geodesy and geodynamics.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dip. Ingegneria dell’Innovazione, Università del Salento, Lecce, Italy

    Ignazio Ciufolini

  2. Centro Fermi - Museo Storico della Fisica e Centro Studi e Ricerche “Enrico Fermi”, Rome, Italy

    Ignazio Ciufolini & Claudio Paris

  3. Scuola di Ingegneria Aerospaziale, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy

    Antonio Paolozzi & Giampiero Sindoni

  4. Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology (JCET), University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD, USA

    Erricos C. Pavlis

  5. Theory Group, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    Richard Matzner

  6. Helmholtz-Zentrum Potsdam Deutsches GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, c/o DLR Oberpfaffenhofen, Wessling, 82234, Germany

    Rolf König

  7. Center for Space Research, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA

    John Ries

  8. Center for Cosmology and Astrophysics, Alikhanian National Laboratory, Yerevan, Armenia

    Vahe Gurzadyan

Authors
  1. Ignazio Ciufolini
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  2. Antonio Paolozzi
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  3. Erricos C. Pavlis
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  4. Richard Matzner
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  5. Rolf König
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  6. John Ries
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  7. Giampiero Sindoni
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  8. Claudio Paris
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  9. Vahe Gurzadyan
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ignazio Ciufolini .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. ZARM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Dirk Puetzfeld

  2. ZARM, University of Bremen, Bremen, Germany

    Claus Lämmerzahl

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Ciufolini, I. et al. (2019). Tests of General Relativity with the LARES Satellites. In: Puetzfeld, D., Lämmerzahl, C. (eds) Relativistic Geodesy. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 196. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-11500-5_15

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