Gravitational redshift test with the future ACES mission

We investigate the performance of the upcoming ACES (atomic clock ensemble in space) space mission in terms of its primary scientific objective, the test of the gravitational redshift. Whilst the ultimate performance of that test is determined by the systematic uncertainty of the on-board clock at 2–3 ppm, we determine whether, and under which conditions, that limit can be reached in the presence of coloured realistic noise, data gaps and orbit...