Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Launch information
Favourite EmbedMission description
Joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to investigate the interaction between Earth’s protective shield – the magnetosphere – and the supersonic solar wind.
Launch status
Launch status information for space mission ‘Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)’.
TBD
Status: To Be Determined
Class: normal
Launch T0: April 8, 2026, midnight
Timezone: America/Cayenne
Launch authority
Details about the the rocket, its target orbit and the launch pad location.
Mission |
Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) (Elliptical) |
|---|---|
Launcher |
Arianespace |
Rocket |
Vega-C |
Location |
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana |
Pad |
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) |
Type |
Astrophysics |
Orbit |
Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical) |
Satellites on-board
Tracking of on-board satellites will be available after the rocket launch date (April 8, 2026).
Launch statistics
Launch statistics will be available after the rocket launch date (April 8, 2026).
Latest news about the launch
News about the space mission ‘Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)’ are fetched daily from the best sources online.
Smile passes gruelling set of tests
All its parts have been built and put together. It has been wrapped in shiny gold insulating foil. Its launch is getting closer. But the Smile spacecraft had one major phase to pass before it could be certified ready for space – and it involved testing, t...
Testing, testing, testing – Let’s Smile (episode 3)
Smile is a brand-new space mission currently in the making. It will study how Earth responds to the solar wind and solar storms.
Newsletter sign-up
Weekly statistics, charts and insights to help you stay on top of the space industry.
