SMART-1 mission baseline endorsed
3 November 1998
At its meeting of 2-3 November, ESA's Science Programme Committee (SPC) endorsed the SMART-1 baseline lunar scenario.This follows the recommendations of the Solar System Working Group (SSWG - 23 September), Astronomy Working Group (AWG) and Space Science Advisory Committee (SSAC - 29 September).
The SSWG recommended lowering the perilune (closest approach to the moon), for instance to around 200-400 km instead of 1000 km, to improve the spatial resolution. This would have a minor impact on fuel, requiring about 2 kg more, but would give a surface resolution up to 3 m, which is 10 times better than the Clementine high-resolution camera.
The SSWG also recommended allowing the provision of fuel and resources for an optional extension towards a near-Earth object flyby.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
