Orbital predictions for the LARES satellite mission: The International Space Time Analysis Research Center (ISTARC)

LARES is an Italian Space Agency satellite specifically designed, built and launched to test general relativity. It is a passive satellite covered with Cube Corner Reflectors that reflect laser pulses from tracking stations, thus allowing accurate measurement of the distance. That in turn enables accurate orbit reconstruction that is a key ingredient to allow the measurement of the tiny Lense-Thirring effect predicted by general relativity. The International Space Time Analysis Research Center provides the International Laser Ranging Service-ILRS, the orbital predictions for LARES for pointing of the tracking telescopes toward the target. The paper describes the technical aspects of generating the orbital predictions.