Related papers: Validation of the in-flight calibration procedures…
The MICROSCOPE space mission aims at testing the Equivalence Principle (EP) with an accuracy of $10^{-15}$. The test is based on the precise measurement delivered by a differential electrostatic accelerometer on-board a drag-free…
The MICROSCOPE mission aims to test the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) in orbit with an unprecedented precision of 10$^{-15}$ on the E\"otv\"os parameter thanks to electrostatic accelerometers on board a drag-free micro-satellite. The…
According to the Weak Equivalence Principle, all bodies should fall at the same rate in a gravitational field. The MICROSCOPE satellite, launched in April 2016, aims to test its validity at the $10^{-15}$ precision level, by measuring the…
The MICROSCOPE mission aimed to test the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) to a precision of $10^{-15}$. The WEP states that two bodies fall at the same rate on a gravitational field independently of their mass or composition. In MICROSCOPE,…
Since the MICROSCOPE instrument aims to measure accelerations as low as a few 10$^{-15}$\,m\,s$^{-2}$ and cannot operate on ground, it was obvious to have a large time dedicated to its characterization in flight. After its release and first…
The MICROSCOPE mission was designed to test the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP), stating the equality between the inertial and the gravitational masses, with a precision of $10^{-15}$ in terms of the E\"otv\"os ratio $\eta$. Its…
Dedicated accelerometers have been developed for the MICROSCOPE mission taking into account the specific range of acceleration to be measured on board the satellite. Considering one micro-g and even less as the full range of the instrument,…
MICROSCOPE is a French Space Agency mission that aims to test the Weak Equivalence Principle in space down to an accuracy of $10^{-15}$. This is two orders of magnitude better than the current constraints, which will allow us to test…
The Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP), stating that two bodies of different compositions and/or mass fall at the same rate in a gravitational field (universality of free fall), is at the very foundation of General Relativity. The MICROSCOPE…
Tests of the Weak Equivalence Principle can reveal a new, composition dependent, force of nature or disprove many models of new physics. For the first time such a test is successfully carried out in space by the MICROSCOPE satellite. Early…
In this paper we examine the possibility of testing the equivalence principle, in its weak form, by analyzing the orbital motion of a pair of artificial satellites of different composition moving along orbits of identical shape and size in…
After performing highly sensitive acceleration measurements during two years of drag-free flight around the Earth, MICROSCOPE provided the best constraint on the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) to date. Beside being a technological…
Testing the Weak Equivalence Principle (WEP) to a precision of $10^{-15}$ requires a quantity of data that give enough confidence on the final result: ideally, the longer the measurement the better the rejection of thestatistical noise. The…
We present the scientific motivation for future space tests of the equivalence principle, and in particular the universality of free fall, at the $10^{-17}$ level or better. Two possible mission scenarios, one based on quantum technologies,…
High-precision inertial sensors or accelerometers can provide us references of free-falling motions in gravitational field in space. They serve as the key payloads for gravity recovery missions such as the CHAMP, the GRACE-type missions,…
The Space Time Explorer and QUantum Equivalence principle Space Test (STE-QUEST) recently proposed, aims at performing a precision test of the weak equivalence principle (WEP), a fundamental cornerstone of General Relativity. Taking…
The space mission MICROSCOPE dedicated to the test of the Equivalence Principle (EP) operated from April 25, 2016 until the deactivation of the satellite on October 16, 2018. In this analysis we compare the free-fall accelerations ($a_{\rm…
Theories that attempt to explain the observed cosmic acceleration by modifying general relativity all introduce a new scalar degree of freedom that is active on large scales, but is screened on small scales to match experiments. We show…
MICROSCOPE's space test of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) is based on the minute measurement of the difference of accelerations experienced by two test masses as they orbit the Earth. A detection of a violation of the WEP would appear…
This paper focus on the description of the design and performance of the MICROSCOPE satellite and its Drag-Free and Attitude Control System (DFACS). The satellite is derived from CNES' Myriade platform family, albeit with significant…