A new type of engine will power Europe's first mission to the Moon - and could transform space travel.

Nick Morrison looks at how science fiction has become science fact.

'SHE cannae take it any longer, cap'n, she's gonna blow" - the engines of the USS Enterprise may have provided Scotty with a weekly headache, but now it seems they were not quite as far-fetched as they first appeared. Yesterday it was revealed that Europe is going to boldly go where it has never gone before, and is using Star Trek technology to get there.

Europe's first-ever mission to the moon will see the unmanned Smart-1 explorer map the entire lunar surface, giving us a better understanding of how Earth's only natural satellite came to be created, as well as looking for the presence of water. But what really makes this mission special is the technology which will be used to propel Smart-1 into position.

The tiny explorer, the size of a small washing machine, will be powered by an ion engine using solar electric propulsion - the same type of engine used in two of the most famous spaceships in science fiction: James T Kirk's USS Enterprise, and 2001: A Space Odyssey's Discovery.

Solar panels provide power to the engine, making it capable of accelerating to speeds greater than those possible with rocket engines. And ion engines are ten times more efficient than rockets, meaning they could cut the interplanetary travel time. Previously, manned missions to other planets in the solar system were thought unlikely due to the lengthy flights - ion engines make them a real possibility. Even missions to other solar systems could be within its capabilities.

"It is a pioneering method of propulsion, ion propulsion is a means of space travel for the future. This is a pioneering vessel, smart in every way," according to Sir Patrick Moore, astronomer and presenter of the BBC's Sky at Night.

Ion thrusters have been used just once before, in Nasa's Deep Space 1 mission, and the European Space Agency (ESA) project will provide an opportunity to test the technology, which experts believe will become the future of space flight.

But although they are efficient, the ion engines do not provide enough thrust to take off from the surface of a planet, so Smart-1 - standing for Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology - will be launched into space from the Ariane 5 rocket. Lift off, from the Kourou base in French Guiana, had been scheduled for September 4, but has now been postponed to give more time to other teams using the rocket to put satellites into space.

After a 15 month journey, Smart-1 will manoeuvre into orbit around the moon, and then begin its work of producing an X-ray map of Earth's nearest neighbour, building on the work of Nasa's Clementine mission of 1994.

And this work could provide important clues as to how the moon was created.

One theory is that an object roughly the size of Mars collided with the Earth, sending debris spinning off into space, debris which later formed the moon. If this theory is correct, the moon should contain less iron than the Earth, and more lighter elements, such as magnesium and aluminium. By measuring the concentration of these elements, scientists should be able to pronounce on the accuracy of this theory.

Smart-1 also marks both the continued emergence of Europe as a major player in space exploration, and the renewal of interest in lunar exploration. In June this year, ESA launched the Mars Express mission, taking Beagle 2 to the Red Planet on a journey which could settle the question of whether there was ever life on Mars. Beagle 2, designed and built by a British-led consortium, is one of four spacecraft due to reach Mars towards the end of this year, alongside Nasa's two Mars Explorer rovers and the Japanese Nozomi.

And after the flurry of lunar missions in the late 1960s and early 1970s, Smart-1 is confirmation of the recognition of the importance of moon exploration. The last of the six moon landings was Apollo 17 in 1972, and from 1976 to 1990 no spacecraft were sent to the moon, as Nasa concentrated on the Space Shuttle.

Even since 1990, there have only been four lunar missions, but after Smart-1 there are two more planned: Lunar A next year and Selene in 2005. After a lengthy hiatus, it seems we are now on the verge of a major stride forward in our understanding of how the moon came into existence. And, perhaps more importantly, we are looking at the development of technology which could bring interplanetary travel within our grasp.