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LARES 2

LARES 2 [OHB-CGS]

LARES 2 (Laser Relativity Satellite 2) is a passive satellite with laser mirrors for the study of the Earth gravitational field and general relativity measurements (Lense-Thirring effect) and for geodetic purposes to improve the measurements on the LAGEOS 1 and 2 and LARES satellites.

LARES 2 is an improved version of LARES replacing the earlier LAGEOS 3 project, which was never funded. The main objectives of the LARES 2 experiment are accurate measurements of General Relativity, gravitational and fundamental physics and accurate determinations in space geodesy and geodynamics. In particular LARES 2 is aimed to achieve a very accurate test of frame-dragging, an intriguing phenomenon predicted by General Relativity.

LARES-2 is a sphere 36.4 cm diameter and a density of 15.3 g/cm3.

LARES-2 is to be launched on Vega-C's maiden flight.

Nation: Italy
Type / Application: Basic research, Geodesy
Operator: ASI
Contractors:
Equipment: 92 cube corner reflectors
Configuration: 40 cm sphere
Propulsion: None
Power: None
Lifetime: Indefinite
Mass: 387 kg
Orbit: 5899 km × 5899 km, 70.16°
Satellite COSPAR Date LS Launch Vehicle Remarks
LARES 2 2022-080A 13.07.2022 Ko ELV Vega-C with AstroBio Cubesat, GreenCube, CELESTA, TRISAT R, MTCube 2, ALPHA
Further LARES missions:

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