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SMART 1

Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology 1 
NSSDC ID:SMART-1

Description:
The SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced Research in Tech-
nology 1) is a lunar orbiter designed to test spacecraft tech-
nologies for future missions. The primary technology being tested
is a solar-powered ion drive. It will also carry an experimental
deep-space telecommunications system and an instrument pay-
load to monitor the ion drive and study the Moon. The primary
scientific objectives of the mission are to return data on the
geology, morphology, topography, mineralogy, geochemistry,
and exospheric environment of the Moon in order to answer
questions about planetary formation accretional processes,
origin of the Earth-Moon system, the lunar near/far side di-
chotomy, long-term volcanic and tectonic activity, thermal and
dynamical processes involved in lunar evolution, and external
processes on the surface. 

SMART-1 is a box-shaped spacecraft with two large solar panel
wings extending from opposite sides. The launch mass, includ-
ing fuel, is 350 kg, the mass at the time it reaches the Moon
should be about 305 kg. A solar-electric propulsion system
uses xenon as a propellant by ionizing the xenon and
accelerating and discharging the plasma from the spacecraft
at high speed. Electrons are also released into the flow to
maintain a neutral charge on the spacecraft. A thrust of 70
mN and a specific impulse of 1600 s is produced.
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