Testing general relativity with satellite laser ranging: Recent developments

In this paper, presented at the COSPAR 2002 assembly, the most recent developments in testing General Relativity in the gravitational field of Earth with the technique of satellite laser ranging are presented. In particular, we concentrate our attention on some gravitoelectric and gravitomagnetic post-Newtonian orbital effects on the motion of a test body in the external field of a central mass. Following the approach of the combined residuals of the orbital elements of some existing or proposed LAGEOS-type satellites, it would be possible to measure the gravitoelectric perigee advance with a relative accuracy of the order of 10−3 and improve the accuracy of the LARES mission, aimed to the measurement of the gravitomagnetic Lense–Thirring effect, to 1% or, perhaps, better. Moreover, the use of an entirely new pair of twin LAGEOS-type satellites placed into identical eccentric orbits with critical supplementary inclinations would allow to measure the Lense–Thirring shift not only by means of the sum of the nodes, with an accuracy of the order of less than 1%, but also, in a complementary way, by means of the difference of the perigees with an accuracy of the order of 5%.