Satellites testing general relativity: Residuals versus perturbations

Abstract

Laser ranging satellites have proved their efficiency for high precision testing of the effect of frame-dragging, one of the remarkable predictions of General Relativity. The analysis of the randomness properties of the residuals of LAGEOS and LAGEOS 2 satellites reveals the role of the thermal thrust — Yarkovsky effect — on the satellite which was in the orbit for longer period (LAGEOS). We also compute Earth’s tidal modes affecting the satellite LARES. The recently obtained 5% accuracy limit reached for the frame dragging effect based on the 3.5 year data of LARES analyzed together with those of LAGEOS satellites and using the Earth gravity model of GRACE satellite, is also represented.