Page 32 - Italy In Space
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Lunar Probes
September 27, 2003. SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology-1) is launched
from Kourou. The Swedish-designed ESA satellite orbited around the Moon, in search for ice in the
craters at the Moon's south pole. One of the main goals of the mission was to test ion engines and solar
electric propulsion and other deep-space technologies. Commemorative cover cancelled with the
standard postmark in use in the Kourou post-office. The special Ariane-5 manual postmark was added.
SMART-1 Mission Project Manager at the Swedish Space Corporation was the Piedmontese Giuseppe
Racca. Commemorative cover cancelled at the Kourou Control Center on the day of launch with the
special pictorial Ariane machine cancel.
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