Using Galileo for Detecting the Gravito-Magnetic Field of the Earth

In this paper we propose to use the perimeter of a polygon whose vertices are Galileo or GPS satellites, located in one and the same orbital plane, as closed space loop along which circulate electromagnetic signals. Terrestrial gravito-magnetism induces a right/left asymmetry in the times of flight of the signals. Such asymmetry is related both to the motion of the satellites, according to the classical Sagnac effect, and to the angular momentum of the earth, which is the source of the gravito-magnetic field of the planet. The proposed configuration would lend an opportunity for independently measuring an effect verified so far in a limited number of cases.