Avio S.p.A

Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)

Vega-C

SUCCESS
Success

Tuesday, May 19, 2026 · 03:52 UTC

Mission

/01

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.

Mission Type

Astrophysics

Orbit

Elliptical Orbit (Elliptical)

Probability

N/A

Status

Launch Successful

Vehicle & Pad

/02

Rocket

Vega-C

Launch Pad

Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

5.236° N, 52.775° W

55

Pad Launches

333

Location Launches

1

Agency Launches

114

Orbital This Year

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