Europe to the Moon: Smart-1 final preparation for launch

The development phase of SMART-1, the first ESA Small Mission for Advance Research and Technology is completed. The integrated spacecraft is ready for launch since the end of March. In this paper we shall first review the main objectives of this mission: to demonstrate in flight the use of electric propulsion as main propulsion system and to make scientific observations of the Moon surface from orbit. The electric propulsion subsystem, developed and procured from SNECMA (F), is based on a Hall-effect plasma engine providing a thrust of 70 mN at 1400 W input power. The integrated system has been successfully tested end-to-end with the electric propulsion engine firing in a properly equipped thermal vacuum chamber at ESTEC. The payload comprises seven instruments addressing technological aspects related to the electric propulsion and plasma environment (EPDP, SPEDE), spacecraft deep space communication (KaTE), lunar science (D-CIXS, AMIE, SIR) and astronomy and solar observations (XSM). SMART-1 is expected to be launched by an Ariane 5 vehicle in a shared flight into a standard Geostationary transfer orbit in late September 2003. After the Launch and Early Operations Phase (LEOP), where the spacecraft main subsystems will be commissioned, an electric propulsion in-flight validation phase will take place. The thrust phase will then start right after in order to exit as soon as possible from the dangerous radiation belt region.