Noordwijk - Dec 22, 2003 - SMART-1 has recently broken through the barrier of 1000 hours of cumulated thrust! This happened at precisely 20:00 UTC on 11 December 2003. The spacecraft is now in its 150th orbit, in good status and with all functions performing nominally.
Paris - Dec 11, 2003 - The spacecraft is now in its 139th orbit, in good operational status and with all functions performing nominally. As previously, the spacecraft was operated in electric propulsion mode almost continuously.
Paris - Dec 08, 2003 - The spacecraft is now in its 130th orbit, in good status and all its functions are performing nominally. As in previous weeks, the spacecraft was operated in electric propulsion mode almost continuously. We have however experienced three flame-outs.
Paris - Dec 01, 2003 - The spacecraft is now in its 120th orbit and has continued to function very well. As in previous weeks, the spacecraft was operated in electric propulsion mode almost continuously - only interupted during eclipse periods.
New York - Nov 24, 2003 - Buyers looking for that perfect piece of real estate for their retirement sanctuary or vacation getaway have grown accustomed to rising property prices. But one company claims to have discovered a place where bargains still exist. There's just one catch: the property is not on Earth.
Paris - Nov 20, 2003 - The spacecraft is now in its 102nd orbit and has been functioning very well since the last anomaly occurred on November 5. SMART-1 has now operated flawlessly for more than 12 days.
Despite evidence from two space probes in the 1990s, radar astronomers say they can find no signs of thick ice at the moon's poles.
Moscow - Nov 12, 2003 - Russia will render aid to India in implementing its national lunar programme. Details of cooperation in the lunar project will be discussed at working expert meetings of the space industries of the two countries, Tass reported Wednesday.
Paris - Nov 12, 2003 - The spacecraft is now in its 90th orbit and has been behaving really well during the last five days. The last anomaly, an Electric Propulsion flame out, occurred on November 5. From then, SMART-1 has operated flawlessly. In this same period the solar activity has dropped considerably.
Paris - Nov 05, 2003 - The spacecraft is now in its 78th orbit and has been flying for the last ten days in an intense radiation environment. This was caused by the recent, exceptional solar and geomagnetic activity.
Paris - Oct 30, 2003 - SMART-1 is now in its 64th orbit and has been flying in space for one month! The main activity of the last week was to continue the thrust firings of the electric propulsion engine in order to boost the spacecraft orbit. This operation was limited due to problems with the local radiation environment as a result of the recent, high intensity solar activity. The engine has now generated thrust for a total cumulated time of about 300 hours.
Paris - Oct 22, 2003 - The spacecraft is now completing its 50th orbit and has completed more than 560 hours in space. The main actvity of the last week has been to repeatedly use the electric propulsion engine to gradually alter the spacecraft's orbit. This is limited to around 15 hours a day based on whether the spacecraft is in eclipse. So far the engine has generated thrust for an accumulated time of about 240 hours.
Paris - Sep 29, 2003 - SMART-1, Europe's first science spacecraft designed to orbit the Moon, has completed the first part of its journey by achieving its initial Earth orbit after a flawless launch during the night of 27/28 September.
Paris (ESA) Oct 01, 2003 - SMART-1's revolutionary propulsion system was successfully fired at 12:25 UT on 30 September, 2003, in orbit around the Earth. Engineers at ESOC, the European Space Agency's control centre in Darmstadt, Germany, sent a command to begin the firing test, which lasted for one hour. This was similar to a trial performed on Earth before SMART-1 was launched.
Paris (ESA) Sep 23, 2003 - A very efficient engine, plenty of room for instruments, accurate performance, good price. All these features characterise ESA's SMART-1, due for launch during the night of 27-28 September. SMART-1 is much smaller, cheaper and, in many ways, 'more powerful' than conventional spacecraft. Its secret lies in several new technologies being tested on board, which will be essential for spacecraft of the future. But this space adventure is not only for engineers; scientists too are eagerly awaiting SMART-1 ¿ the first European mission to the Moon.
Paris - Sep 22, 2003 - The launch date for ESA's SMART-1 mission to the Moon is confirmed as during the night of 27-28 September 2003. The 'launch window' will be 8:02 p.m. to 8:21 p.m. on Saturday, 27 September, local time in Kourou, French Guiana, and 1:02 a.m. to 1:21 a.m. on Sunday, 28 September, CEST.
