Smart-1 Project Development Status
Abstract
SMART-1 is the first of the Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology of the ESA Horizons 2000 Science Plan. The main mission objective of SMART-1 is to demonstrate key technologies for Bepi-Colombo and other scientific deep-space missions. One of the key technologies is the solar electric propulsion used as primary propulsion. The electric propulsion will be using 1400W to transfer the 350 kg space- craft from an Ariane-5 standard GTO to an elliptic Moon polar orbit, 10000x300 km. The total mission time is 24 months including a maximum of 18 months transfer time. The spacecraft development entered the detailed design and implementation phase in October 1999, under the responsibility of the Swedish Space Corporation as prime contractor, and the flight acceptance is targeted for the end of 2002. Apart from the in-orbit demonstration of electric propulsion as primary propulsion, SMART-1 is im- plementing many other enabling technologies for deep-space missions. In addition, the spacecraft avionics design is tailored to the low cost philosophy by enabling flexi- ble integration of Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) equipment. The scientific instru- ments support the characterisation of the electric propulsion thrust environment during the long transfer phase and detailed imaging and spectroscopy of the lunar surface in visible, infrared and X-ray during the Moon orbiting phase. The paper summarises the baseline mission and spacecraft design. The main part of the paper highlights the spacecraft design status and the assembly, integration and verification activities.
- Publication:
-
EGS General Assembly Conference Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- 2002
- Bibcode:
- 2002EGSGA..27.1152R