The French Microscope orbiter will try to poke a hole in one of Einstein’s most famous theories, which provides the basis for our modern understanding of gravity. A countdown on Sunday was High Purity Titanium Target Manufacturers halted after scientists observed an “anomaly”, the agency said in an earlier statement, while adverse weather conditions had thwarted other attempts. “In space, it is possible to study the relative motion of two bodies in almost perfect and permanent free fall aboard an orbiting satellite, shielded from perturbations encountered on Earth,” said Arianespace, which put the satellite into orbit on Monday.

The French space agency CNES has not said when the experiment will be finished. Einstein’s theory suggests that in perfect free-fall, the two objects should move in exactly the same way. Scientists will use the kit to measure how two different pieces of metal, one titanium and the other a platinum-rhodium alloy, behave in orbit. Microscope is orbiting in Earth’s gravitational pull.Einstein’s theory of general relativity is to be put to the test by a newly-launched satellite in an experiment that could upend our understanding of physics. That satellite, along with another launched two years ago, is part of the 3.8-billion-euro.

Also aboard the Russian Soyuz rocket launched from French Guiana was an Earth-observation satellite equipped with radar to monitor the planet’s surface to track climate and environmental change and help in disaster relief operations. But if they are shown to behave differently “the principle will be violated: an event that would shake the foundations of physics”, Arianespace added.The principle has been tested before, but according to the French space agency CNES, this experiment will be more exacting than any of its predecessors.3-billion) Copernicus project, which will ultimately boast six orbiters in all.Three previous launches from Arianespace’s Spaceport in French Guiana, an overseas territory that borders Brazil, were delayed by poor weather and technical issues.