ESA Portal - SMART-1: the first spacecraft of the future

Media Centre

Press Releases ESA Television Launch Media Corner Exhibitions

Services

Calendar Publications Frequently asked questions ESA-sponsored Conferences Help Site Credits Portal terms of use Comments Subscribe

SMART-1: the first spacecraft of the future

22 September 2003

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 232 kb)

HI RES TIFF (Size: 850 kb)

How three remote-sensing instruments on SMART-1 will scan the Moon's surface during one pass. Repeated passes will gradually fill in the picture.

Credits: ESA 2002. Illustration by Medialab.

Back to article

Artist's impression of SMART-1

Credits: ESA

Back to article

Artist's impression of SMART-1 ion engine

Download:

HI-RES JPEG (Size: 705 kb)

How an ion engine works. Electrons attracted into the discharge chamber collide with xenon atoms from the propellant gas supply, making charged atoms (ions). Current-carrying coils, inside and outside the doughnut-shaped discharge chamber, sustain a magnetic field oriented like the spokes of a wheel. By the Hall effect, ions and electrons swerving in opposite directions in the magnetic field create an electric field. This expels the xenon ions in a propulsive jet. Other emitted electrons then neutralise the xenon, producing the blue jet.

SMART-1 is the first of ESA’s Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology. It will head for the Moon using solar-electric propulsion and carrying a battery of miniaturised instruments.

Credits: Illustration by AOES Medialab, ESA 2002

Back to article

Testing solar electric propulsion and studying the Moon

Download:

HI-RES JPEG (Size: 325 kb)

The European Space Agency's Science Programme encompasses, in addition to the ambitious 'Cornerstone' and medium-sized missions, recently dubbed 'flexi-missions', small relatively low-cost missions. These have been given the generic name SMART - 'Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology'. Their purpose is to test new technologies that will eventually be used on bigger projects.

SMART-1 is the first in this programme. Its primary objective is to flight test Solar Electric Primary Propulsion as the key technology for future Cornerstones in a mission representative of a deep-space one. ESA's projected BepiColombo mission to explore the planet Mercury could be the first to benefit from SMART-1's demonstration of electric propulsion. Another objective is to test new technologies for spacecraft and instruments.

The planetary objective selected for the SMART-1 mission is to orbit the Moon for a nominal period of six months. It is the first time that Europe sends a spacecraft to the Moon. The project aims to have the spacecraft ready early in 2003 for launch as an Ariane-5 auxiliary payload. In addition to the use of solar electric primary propulsion to reach Earth's natural satellite, the spacecraft will carry out a complete programme of scientific observations in lunar orbit.

Credits: ESA

Back to article

Download:

HI RES JPG (Size: 892 kb)

Night image of Kourou

Credits: ESA/AOES Medialab

More about...

Looking at the Moon

SMART-1

SMART-1 ready for launch Testing spacecraft Getting ready for launch What is a 'launch window'?Ion drives: Science fiction or science fact?