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ESA's ACES Mission Launches to Test Einstein's Theory of Relativity

The ACES instrument, carrying two state-of-the-art atomic clocks, is en route to the ISS for groundbreaking gravitational time dilation experiments.

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Overview

  • The ACES mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Dragon capsule from Kennedy Space Center, is set to dock autonomously with the ISS within 28 hours.
  • The payload includes two advanced atomic clocks, Pharao and SHM, designed to measure time differences between Earth and the ISS with unprecedented precision.
  • This experiment will test Einstein's theory of general relativity by analyzing how gravity affects the flow of time in space versus on Earth.
  • Daily time signals from ACES will be sent to multiple ground stations, contributing to the creation of a unified global time standard.
  • Following robotic installation on the ISS later this week, a six-month calibration period will precede data collection, with first scientific results expected in 1.5 years.