B.H. Foing¹, G.D. Racca², A. Marini², D.J. Heather¹, D. Koschny¹, M. Grande³, J. Huovelin⁴, H.U. Keller⁵, A. Nathues⁵, J.L. Josset⁶, A. Malkki⁷, W. Schmidt⁷, G. Noci⁸, R. Birkl⁹, L. Iess¹⁰. Sodnik¹¹, P. McManamon¹¹

¹ESA Research and Scientific Support Department, ESTEC/SCI-SR, Postbus 299, 2200 AG Noordwijk, The Netherlands, ²ESA Scientific Project Department, ESTEC/SCI-PD ³Rutherford Appleton Labs, UK, ⁴Helsinki Observatory, ⁵Max- Planck- Institut. für Aeronomie, ⁶Space-X, Neuchatel, ⁷Finnish Meteorology Institute, ⁸LABEN SpA, ⁹Astrium GmbH, ¹⁰U. of Rome, ¹¹ESA Directorate of Technology and Operations , ESTEC/TOS

SMART-1 is a technology demonstration mission for deep space solar electrical propulsion and technologies for the future. SMART-1 will be Europe's first lunar mission and will contribute to developing an international program of lunar exploration. The spacecraft has been readied in April 2003 for a launch in summer 2003, as an auxiliary passenger to GTO on Ariane 5, to reach the Moon after 15 month's cruise. SMART-1 will carry six experiments, including three remote sensing instruments that will be used during the mission's nominal six months in lunar orbit. These instruments will contribute to key planetary scientific questions, related to theories of lunar origin and evolution, the global and local crustal composition, the search for cold traps at the lunar poles and the mapping of potential lunar resources.

Publication date: March 2003

Solar Electric Propulsion to the Moon