Paris/Berlin, Sep 3 (DPA) The nearly three-year mission of the European lunar satellite SMART 1 was brought to an end Sunday with the probe executing a spectacular crash into the moon, the flight control centre in Darmstadt, Germany announced.

The 366-kilogramme satellite struck a lunar plain known as the Lake of Excellence, prompting scenes of joy among those present at the European Space Agency in Darmstadt, from which the probe's demise was directed.

Powerful telescopes onboard the refrigerator-sized satellite recorded the crash, which created a crater on the moon's surface.