The European Space Agency's Smart-1 lunar probe, which is on its way to the moon, has sent a picture of the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East from its perspective
The European Space Agency's Smart-1 lunar probe, which is more than 1 km from Earth, sent a picture of the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East from its perspective.
Smart use of the solar-electric propulsion system (ion engine) of the spaceship saved a lot of fuel, and it will reach the moon earlier than expected.
Almost 20 kilograms of the 84 of Xenon fuel were saved. It will be possible to use the saved fuel to get closer to the moon and reach a distance of between 30 and 3000 kilometers from it. At this distance, a good coverage of the lunar surface can be achieved with a resolution at higher sensitivities.
