September 27, 2003
ESA to the Moon
Glad to see someone is still interested in the Moon, but I do wish it was the U.S. The lack of focus by NASA on further exploration and eventual exploitation of the Moon is inexplicable.
Europe's first mission to the moon got off to a smooth start today with the launch of a rocket carrying the European Space Agency's SMART-1 probe from a base in South America. The Ariane-5 rocket lifted off from its launch pad in Kourou, French Guinea at 8.14pm local time (0914 Sunday AEST) and was to place the unmanned spacecraft and two communications satellites in space within about 40 minutes, Arianespace said.Posted by Alan at September 27, 2003 07:36 PMThe SMART-1, short for "Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology," is off for a long voyage: It's expected to reach the moon by December 2004. The core mission of the probe is to test a new solar-electric propulsion technology. The SMART-1 will rely on energy generated by solar panels used by "ion engines" that provide a thrust of charged particles.
The craft, weighing only 367kg, will also pioneer minute instrumentation to be used to explore the origins of the moon, look for water there and examine the prospect of building a permanent human base on the lunar surface.