CAS and ESA Jointly Launch SMILE Space Mission

On 19th May 2026, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the European Space Agency (ESA) jointly launched the SMILE satellite from French Guiana to study interactions between solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field and improve space weather forecasting.

Key Points

Mission Name: SMILE stands for Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer.
Launch Vehicle: The satellite was launched aboard the Vega-C rocket from Kourou, French Guiana.
Mission Objective: SMILE will study how charged particles from the Sun interact with Earth’s magnetosphere.
Scientific Importance: The mission will help improve understanding of geomagnetic storms, satellite disruptions, and space weather events.
Main Instrument: The Soft X-ray Imager will observe the magnetosphere’s boundary for the first time through X-ray detection.
Other Instruments: The satellite carries an Ultraviolet Aurora Imager, Light Ion Analyzer, and Magnetometer.