Vega-C Launch of China-Europe SMILE Satellite Postponed, New Date TBD
Abstract: Avio, the operator of Europe's Vega-C rocket, announced on April 5 that Flight VV29 — the launch of the ESA-CAS joint SMILE satellite — has been postponed. No new launch date has been set.
The European Vega-C rocket was scheduled to launch the China-Europe joint SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) satellite on April 9, 2026, from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. However, Italian launch provider Avio announced on April 5 that Flight VV29 has been postponed, with a new launch date to be announced. As of this report, neither Avio nor ESA has disclosed the reason for the postponement or a revised schedule.
SMILE is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Weighing approximately 2,200 kg, the satellite carries three scientific payloads: a Soft X-ray Imager (SXI), an Ultraviolet Auroral Imager (ULTI), and a Magnetometer (MAG). Its objective is to observe the dynamic interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere, aiming to deepen understanding of the Sun-Earth connection and support improved space weather forecasting.
According to NSSC, the SMILE satellite passed the joint Sino-European factory acceptance review at ESA's European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, on October 28, 2025. After completing pre-launch preparations, it was transported to the Kourou launch site. The originally planned launch window was April 9, 2026, at 03:29 local time (08:29 CEST / 07:29 BST). This would have been Vega-C's 29th flight (VV29).
Previously, Vega-C successfully launched Korea Aerospace Research Institute's (KARI) KOMPSAT-7 Earth observation satellite on December 1, 2025, marking the rocket's return to flight following its July 2022 anomaly.
Sources
- Avio - Flight VV29 Launch Postponement (Announced April 5, 2026)
- ESA - Vega
- NSSC - SMILE Mission Updates (February 5, 2026)
- NSSC - SMILE Mission
- Xinhua - China-Europe SMILE Satellite to Depart for Europe