Object injection in geodesic conditions: In-flight and on-ground testing issues

In absence of forces, any object moves along the straightest possible path in space–time, called geodesic. The presence of a gravity field generates a space–time distortion that reflects on a curvature of the geodesics. Outer space yields a privileged environment to achieve high levels of geodesic purity, thanks to the absence of many non-gravitational force disturbances typical of the Earth, mainly due to the atmosphere, micro-seismic activity, stray electro-magnetic fields, etc. Many experiments in the field of Fundamental Physics, General Relativity and Earth Observation are performed through space missions, in which objects are either set in geodesic conditions or their deviation from a geodesic is measured. In both cases, stray non-gravitational forces acting on them must be reduced to a negligible level.