LARES-2
LARES-2 is ASI’s second passive laser-relativity mission, launched on Vega-C’s maiden flight in July 2022. A nickel-alloy sphere with 303 retroreflectors is tracked by terrestrial laser stations. Its high orbit and low area-to-mass ratio reduce nongravitational disturbances for frame-dragging tests, geodesy and geodynamics.
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Identity
- Aliases
- LARES 2Laser Relativity Satellite 2
- Name
- LARES-2
- Status
- active
Details
- Astronauts
- -
- Description
- LARES-2 is ASI’s second passive laser-relativity mission, launched on Vega-C’s maiden flight in July 2022. A nickel-alloy sphere with 303 retroreflectors is tracked by terrestrial laser stations. Its high orbit and low area-to-mass ratio reduce nongravitational disturbances for frame-dragging tests, geodesy and geodynamics.
- Destination
- Nearly circular Earth orbit, about 5899 km altitude and 70.16-degree inclination
- Outcome
- LARES-2 observations from September 2022 onward were included in the ILRS v101 contribution to ITRF2020-u2025, released in August 2026. The combined solution uses five geodetic satellites to estimate reference-frame quantities and Earth-orientation parameters, giving the mission a geodetic role alongside its relativity experiments.
- Programs
- -
- Start Date
- 2022-07-13
- Vehicle Families
Links
- Official Url
- https://www.asi.it/en/earth-science/lares-2/
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- October 29, 2026 at 16:05:22 UTC
- Updated Time
- October 29, 2026 at 16:05:22 UTC
Other
- Affiliations
- Space Stations
- -
- Vehicles