SMART-1: Europe's lunar mission paving the way for new solar system explorations technologies

SMART-1 is the European Space Agency's first Small Mission for Advanced Research and Technology, a technological test bed for the latest innovations that may be the foundations of future space exploration missions. As Europe's first mission to the Moon, SMART-1 is also the first spacecraft to use the primary solar electric propulsion in conjunction with gravity assist manoeuvres to escape from a geo-transfer orbit round the Earth with the aim of capturing in orbit around another body. A key element of this approach has demanded innovation in ground based navigation and operations. The 370 kg spacecraft carries a wide variety of novel and ambitious instruments weighing not more than 19 kg. They will probe the Lunar surface in the visible, infra-red and X-ray spectrum, determining the Moon's mineral composition, the chemical elements in the surface and the providing clues as to how the Lunar surface has evolved. Instrument miniaturisation has been achieved to meet the low mass budget and can be used to increase the spectrum of science that can be flown on future missions. New techniques for autonomy, self navigation, communications and new components are being tested to pave the way before implementation of the exploration missions of the future. The paper describes the mission, its goals, the operational challenges that have been faced and the initial results.