First European mission to the MoonIn 2003, the first European mission to the Moon was launched aboard an Ariane-5 rocket. The SMART-1 exploration probe, along with two commercial satellites, blasted off from the European Space Agency's launch centre in Kourou, French Guiana. SMART-1 will take 15 months to reach lunar orbit, covering 62 million miles with only 13 gallons of fuel. The 170-lb probe will scan the Moon for up to 30 months to try to answer tantalising questions about the chemical composition of the Moon and whether it contains water. It is powered by a revolutionary new "ion drive", a solar-powered engine that could one day be used for long-distance space flight. With a cost of £70 million, SMART-1 is at a relatively low price for a space mission. |