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| Title: | Design and implementation of a star trackers for the European SMART-1 mission to the Moon | | Type: | Project | | Partners: | | | Abstract | The European Space Agency, ESA, is presently designing the small spacecraft SMART-1, which is bound for the Moon where it science objectibe is a study of radiometric and albedo properties of the Lunar surface.
SMART-1 will, apart from several advanced instruments, also utilize a new propulsion system to change the orbit from the Geostationary Transfer Orbit into which it is inserted, to a low lunar orbit. Although this propulsion system has a very high specific impulse, the thrust is relaitvely low, resulting in a slow orbit transfer. This implies, that the spacecraft, and its systems, must be designed to survive substantial radiation in the Van Allen belts.
IAU will design, verify and build the attitude sensors for SMART-1 such that proper operations will be maintained during the high radiation exposure, and such that high accuracy is ensured for the science instrumentation upon arrival at the lunar orbit. |
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