Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)

Name: Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Start: 2026-05-19 03:52:10+00
Location: Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Vega-C

May 19, 3:52 AM UTC

Mission Elapsed Time

T-00:00:00

Mission Details

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.

Type: Astrophysics
Orbit: Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical)

Launch Site

Pad: Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
Location: Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Country: 🌍 GUF

View on map Wikipedia

Weather at Launch

Temp: 24.5°C
Wind: 6 km/h @ 107°
Sky: Drizzle
Source: open-meteo-forecast

Partner Agencies

Chinese Academy of Sciences
Government
European Space Agency
Multinational