http://sci.esa.int/content/news/index.cfm?aid=10&cid=33&oid=31976<br /><br />ESA PR 17-2003 <br /><br />ESA presents SMART-1: Europe to the Moon, the Moon for Europe<br />March 19, 2003<br /><br />The European Space Agency will present its SMART-1<br />lunar mission to the press on 3 April 2003. The event will take place at<br />the European Space Technology Research Centre (ESTEC), Noordwijk,<br />The Netherlands and will place the mission in its correct scientific,<br />technological and European framework.<br /><br />SMART-1 is a prototype for space missions of the future.<br />It is a small, low-cost mission that emphasises<br />miniaturisation. It carries ten experiments that will test a<br />host of technological innovations in the context of<br />the first European scientific mission to the Moon. <br /><br />SMART-1 is the first in a series of 'Small Missions for Advanced<br />Research in Technology'. The programme is dedicated to finding new<br />solutions that can bring down the cost of space missions and allow more<br />space science to be done for the money. SMART-1 is a precursor of a new<br />philosophy, based on developing lightweight technologies for spacecraft.<br />Accordingly the benefits are not only for space science but the mission<br />technology is also aimed to help maintain the European space industry at<br />the forefront of commercial competitiveness and technological<br />know-how. <br /><br />The centrepiece of the SMART-1 mission is the testing of solar electric<br />propulsion (SEP), commonly referred to as an ion engine. This is a key<br />technology that will make possible future missions such as BepiColombo<br />to Mercury and the Solar Orbiter. However the use will not just be<br />limited to science; the telecommunications industry is very interested<br />also. <br /><br />The technology preparation for SMART-1 will be presented at the<br />event. At the same time, SMART-1 is far more than just a technology<br />demonstrator. Although astronauts walked on the Moon long ago, there<br />are many science problems that can only be tackled by global surveying of<br />the kind SMART-1 will do. Its new science instruments will address<br />some of the most perplexing lunar mysteries, including the formation of<br />the Moon, the search for water ice, and the analysis of the lunar crust's<br />mineral composition. <br /><br />The SMART-1 day at ESTEC will take the form of a series of<br />presentations by relevant project leaders, and offer the chance to actually<br />view the spacecraft in the test facilities. <br /><br />For more information, please contact: <br /><br />ESA - Communication Department<br />Media Relations Office<br />Paris, France<br />Tel: +33 (0)1 5369 7155<br />Fax: +33 (0)1 5369 7690