SMART-1 mission to the moon: Technology and science goals Original Research Article

SMART-1 is a technology demonstration mission for deep space solar electrical propulsion and Technologies for the Future. SMART-1 will be Europeʹs 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 monthʹs cruise. SMART-1 will carry six experiments, including three remote sensing instruments that will be used during the missionʹs 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.