In-orbit calibration approach of the MICROSCOPE experiment for the test of the equivalence principle at 10^-15

The MICROSCOPE mission is a space experiment of fundamental physics which aims to test the equality between the gravitational and inertial mass with a 10^-15 accuracy. Considering these scientific objectives, very weak accelerations have to be controlled and measured in orbit. By modelling the expected acceleration signals applied to the MICROSCOPE instrument in orbit, the developed analytic model of the mission measurement shows the requirements for instrument calibration. Because of on-ground perturbations, the instrument cannot be calibrated in the laboratory and an in-orbit procedure has to be defined. The proposed approach exploits the drag-free system of the satellite and is an important element of the future data analysis of the MICROSCOPE space experiment.