SMART-1 lunar mission: From capture to impact

SMART-1 is the first of the European Space Agency's Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology. It demonstrated orbit raising from geostationary transfer orbit to the Moon using solar-electric propulsion. In November 2004 SMART-1 successfully manoeuvred into Moon orbit. Since January 2005 SMART-1 has been in its operational orbit performing scientific operations that were interrupted only by a one-month reboost phase in September 2005 to re-optimize the orbit. Towards the end-of-mission a series of orbit control manoeuvres was done to influence the impact date and location such that Earth-based telescopes could observe the impact. On 3 September 2006 at 05:42:22 UTC SMART-1 impacted the Moon in an area called the Lake of Excellence. The impact was observed and confirmed from Earth by radio and infra-red telescopes. This paper will present special SMART-1 operations and activities from the time of Moon capture until Moon impact. The paper highlights how the orbit evolved around the Moon, and how and when propulsion was used to influence the orbit. It discusses the nominal and extended science mission around the Moon, and concludes with the most recent information available on the Moon impact. Note that the time of writing is two weeks after impact.