LARES (satellite)
The aspect of LARES satellite
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|
| Mission type |
Laser ranging satellite Test of GR |
|---|---|
| Operator | ASI |
| COSPAR ID | 2012-006A |
| SATCAT no. | 38077 |
| Website | http://www.lares-mission.com/ |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Launch mass | 386.8 kilograms (853 lb) |
| Dimensions | 364 millimetres (14.3 in) |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 13 February 2012, 22:45:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Vega VV01 |
| Launch site | Kourou ELA-1 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Eccentricity | 0.0008 |
| Perigee | 1,437 kilometres (893 mi) |
| Apogee | 1,451 kilometres (902 mi) |
| Inclination | 69.49 degrees |
| Period | 114.75 minutes |
| Epoch | 29 July 2013 |
LARES (acronym for Laser Relativity Satellite) (COSPAR ID 2012-006A) is an Italian Space Agency scientific satellite launched from the ESA Guiana Space Centre of Kourou, French Guiana, by the maiden flight of the European launch vehicle Vega on 13 February 2012.
The LARES satellite is the densest known object orbiting in the Solar System.
The satellite, completely passive, is made of tungsten alloy and houses 92 cube corner retroreflectors that are used to track the satellite via laser from stations on Earth (satellite laser ranging). LARES's body has a diameter of about 36.4 centimetres (14 in) and weighs about 400 kilograms (882 lb). LARES was inserted in an orbit with 1,450 kilometres (901 mi) of perigee, an inclination of 69.5 degrees and reduced eccentricity. The satellite is tracked by the International Laser Ranging Service stations.
The main scientific target of the LARES mission is the measurement of the Lense–Thirring effect, also known as frame-dragging, with an accuracy of about 1%, according to its proponent, Ignazio Ciufolini (Principal Investigator of the mission), and the LARES Scientific Team. The reliability of such an estimate is currently debated. An analysis of 3.5 years of laser-ranging data has been reported with a claimed accuracy of about 4%. Critical remararks appeared later in the literature.
The LARES satellite may also be used for measurements in the fields of geodynamics and satellite geodesy.
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