SMART-1

The first picture of Earth taken by the SMART-1 spacecraft on 21 May 2004 from a distance of 70 000 kilometres.

“As the first spacecraft to use primary electric propulsion in conjunction with gravity manoeuvres, and as Europe's first mission to the Moon, SMART-1 opens up new horizons in space engineering and scientific discovery. And we promise frequent news and pictures, so that everyone can share in our lunar adventure.” Giuseppe Racca, ESA's SMART-1 Project Manager By March 2003 a hitchhiking team of engineers and scientists will be at Europe’s spaceport at Kourou in French Guiana, thumbing a lift for a neat little spacecraft, ESA’s SMART-1, on the next Ariane-5 launcher that has room to spare.

Views of the Moon

Now more than 100 000 kilometres away from Earth, ESA's Moon-bound spacecraft SMART-1 looked back at Earth and returned this planetary perspective of the Middle East and Mediterranean Sea.

ESA science missions

Earth and an eclipsed Moon

Ariane 5 launchers with science missions onboard

SMART-1’s crash site

SMART-1 mission overview

How ESOC maps spacecraft routes through space