Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) Mission

Launch Status

TBD

Date & Time

Mar 2026

Location

Guiana Space Centre Launch Site

Guiana Space Centre

Pad

Ariane Launch Area 1

Launch Service Provider

Arianespace logo

Arianespace

Vehicle

Vega-C image

Vega-C

Mission

Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)

Mission Type

Astrophysics

Destination

Elliptical Orbit

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.

Last Update: Targeting early 2026

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