On March 26, 2026, the Chinese Academy of Sciences announced that the SMILE satellite (Solar wInd Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), jointly developed by China and the European Space Agency (ESA), has completed all pre-launch preparations at the Kourou Launch Center in French Guiana. The satellite is scheduled for launch on April 9, 2026, local time aboard a Vega-C rocket.
Mission Overview
SMILE is China's first mission-level, fully comprehensive深度合作 (comprehensive in-depth cooperation) space science exploration mission with ESA, and marks the grand finale of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Space Science (Phase II) pre-directional program.
The mission will use soft X-ray imaging technology to achieve, for the first time, overall imaging of the Earth's magnetosphere's large-scale structure, expected to make breakthroughs in space weather forecasting and magnetospheric physics.
Scientific Objectives
The core scientific objectives of the SMILE satellite include:
- Panoramic imaging of solar wind-magnetosphere interaction: First continuous panoramic imaging of the entire magnetospheric boundary
- Research on space weather driving mechanisms: Deep understanding of the energy coupling process between solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere
- Multi-band coordinated observation: Combining extreme ultraviolet imaging, soft X-ray imaging, and magnetospheric particle sampling
Payloads
The SMILE satellite carries four primary scientific payloads:
| Payload | Function |
|---|---|
| Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (UVI) | Observes aurora and polar ionosphere |
| Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) | Images magnetopause and polar cusp regions |
| Low-energy Ion Detector (LID) | Measures low-energy ions and electrons |
| Magnetometer (MAG) | Measures magnetic field at satellite location |
Launch Details
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Launch Vehicle | Vega-C |
| Launch Site | Kourou Launch Center, French Guiana |
| Scheduled Launch | April 9, 2026, local time |
| Cooperation | Chinese Academy of Sciences + ESA |
| Satellite Platform | Provided by ESA |
Significance
The SMILE satellite has been mated with the Vega-C rocket's payload adapter. The launch window has been confirmed, and the China-Europe joint team is closely monitoring the launch site weather and final technical status of the rocket and satellite to ensure the SMILE satellite is launched on time and successfully.
The successful implementation of the SMILE mission will set a benchmark for China-EU space science cooperation and lay the technological foundation for deeper future collaboration. Scientific data from the mission will be open to global scientists, advancing human understanding of space weather environments in the solar system.
Source
- CNSA: ""微笑"卫星完成发射前最后准备