The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have successfully launched the joint SMILE mission (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. The satellite lifted off aboard a Vega-C launcher, and mission controllers later confirmed separation into the planned orbit, correct deployment of the solar arrays, and nominal operation of onboard systems.
SMILE is the first full mission-level science collaboration between China and ESA in space exploration. Designed to study how the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere and ionosphere, the spacecraft carries soft X-ray imaging technology that will provide the first global views of the large-scale structure of the magnetosphere. Additional instruments will observe in ultraviolet and measure particles and magnetic fields.
The mission aims to improve scientific understanding of magnetospheric physics and contribute to advances in space weather forecasting, particularly in predicting geomagnetic disturbances that can affect satellites and communication systems. SMILE operates in a highly elliptical Earth orbit, enabling extended observations over the polar regions where solar wind–magnetosphere interactions are most intense.