What happens to SMART-1 once the mission is over?
The amount of fuel consumed determines the final orbit around the Moon. If a lot of the fuel is already consumed during the trip, the orbit around the Moon will be very elongated. This orbit will only ‘survive’ for six months and then SMART-1 will ‘fall’ on the Moon. If the fuel consumption during the transfer is less, SMART-1 may have a more stable Moon orbit that could last for centuries. In this case, we will either switch off the spacecraft and leave it orbiting or, if fuel allows, make it descend closer to obtain higher-resolution observations.
