SMART-1 was launched in 2003 from French Guiana, and after a 16 month transfer orbit to the Moon (powered by intermittently using its ion engine) was positioned in a polar elliptical orbit, ranging between 300 and 3000 kilometres in altitude.
Part of SMART-1’s payload was AMIE (Advanced-Moon micro-Imager Experiment), a miniature high resolution (35 m pixel at 350 km perilune height) camera, equipped with a fixed panchromatic and 3-colour filter, for Moon topography and imaging support to other experiments
SMART-1 ended its mission when it impacted the Moon’s surface, as planned, on 3 September 2006, travelling at approximately 2,000 m/s. It created an impact visible with ground telescopes from Earth.
The focus of LRR has been to add SMART-1 imagery to maps.
For more information:
SMART-1 Science, Technology and Images
