SMILE lifts off to map Earth's magnetic shield in unprecedented detail
After more than a decade of joint development between ESA and China's CNSA, the SMILE spacecraft is now in orbit and ready to deliver the fi…
Long form
The
The
magazine.
Reporting, analysis and dispatches signed by our newsroom. The fine machinery of international spaceflight, told for those who care about the details.
SMILE Launches to Map Earth's Magnetic Shield in Detail
On 19 May 2026, a Vega-C rocket carried ESA's SMILE spacecraft into orbit from French Guiana. The joint European-Chinese mission aims to ima…
Smile satellite launches to map Earth's magnetic shield in unprecedented detail
Lifting off on a Vega-C rocket from Kourou on 19 May 2026, the Smile spacecraft begins a multi-year investigation into space weather, geomag…