First EU mission to study the moon
By Marit Ruuda
The European Union's first mission to the moon will be launched in the beginning of September, the European Space Agency (ESA) has announced.
Europe’s first small probe to the moon SMART-1 (Small Mission for Advanced Research in Technology) will start its unique journey on 3 September from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
16 month journey
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SMART-1 is a very small spacecraft measuring just one cubic metre, but it marks the first step towards a new generation of European space missions.
It will take about 16 months before the SMART-1 spacecraft reaches its destination, where it is expected to carry out a number of unprecedented studies of the moon. Once there, it will also become a science platform for lunar observation.
"SMART-1 will search for signs of water-ice in craters near the Moon’s poles, provide data to shed light on the still uncertain origin of the moon, and reconstruct its evolution by mapping its topography and the surface distribution of minerals and key chemical elements," announced ESA.
Initially the mission was supposed to be launched at the end of August, but has been delayed by about six days.