Europe's first science mission to the Moon was launched into space Saturday. The Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology (SMART-1) lunar probe hitchhiked a ride atop a massive Ariane 5 rocket that blasted off from the Guiana Space Center on the edge of the Amazon Jungle in South America at 7:14 p.m. EDT (2314 GMT). Launched by the European commercial firm Arianespace, the booster's main job was to lift two large communications satellites into Earth orbit, which it did without incident, before sending the office desk-sized science platform on its way to Earth's nearest neighbor in space. "Bravo for this superb success," said Jean-Yves Le Gall, Arianespace's chief executive officer. "It is the first time that an Ariane 5 has launched three satellites and it's the first time we have launched a lunar probe. Judging by the orbit it is in, it's on its good way." SMART-1 is the first robotic spacecraft the European Space Agency (ESA) has ever sent to the Moon.

Moreover, its launch marked the first time in four years that any nation has dispatched a lunar mission. ESA in the past has either directly or indirectly been involved in missions to explore Jupiter, Saturn, Mars, comets, asteroids and the Sun -- but this is the first time Europe has looked in Earth's backyard.

View: Full Article | Source: space.com