BEIJING, May 19 (Xinhua) -- The China-Europe jointly developed Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) was launched into orbit on Tuesday, expected to usher in a new era in space weather forecasting and mark a deeper, more exemplary phase in China-Europe space science cooperation.
The satellite was launched by a Vega-C rocket at the Kourou launch center in French Guiana.
The SMILE mission is the first mission-level, all-round, in-depth collaborative space science exploration project between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the European Space Agency (ESA), aiming to reveal the mysteries of the interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere.
According to the plan, after approximately 42 days of orbital maneuvering following its entry into orbit, the satellite will reach its observation orbit. It will then undergo two months of in-orbit testing before entering a three-year routine scientific observation phase.
UNPRECEDENTED SPACE WEATHER OBSERVATION
The Earth's magnetosphere acts as a "protective umbrella," shielding the planet from direct impacts of the solar wind. However, for a long time, scientists could only observe the magnetosphere locally through in-situ or point measurements, making it difficult to grasp the complete picture.
As Wang Chi, an academician of CAS, director of the National Space Science Center (NSSC) of CAS and Chinese principal investigator of the SMILE satellite, put it: "Previously, we could only see the trees, not the forest."
The core scientific objective of the SMILE mission is to achieve, for the first time, global imaging observations of solar wind-magnetosphere interactions, presenting the complete chain of how solar wind energy enters, propagates through, and dissipates within Earth's space, according to Wang.
To realize this goal, the mission employs a groundbreaking design: it carries the world's first spaceborne soft X-ray imager (SXI), which can transform the previously "invisible" magnetospheric boundary into images.
Additionally, the satellite carries an ultraviolet auroral imager (UVI), a light ion analyzer (LIA), and a magnetometer (MAG). This observation system enables simultaneous global-scale imaging to track magnetospheric evolution while measuring in situ solar wind physical parameters, providing unprecedented observational capabilities for studying space weather processes such as magnetic storms and substorms.
NEW MODEL FOR SPACE COOPERATION
Originating from a cooperative initiative jointly launched by CAS and ESA in 2015, the SMILE project has established an equal, mutually beneficial, and complementary mechanism for cooperation.
China is fully responsible for satellite platform development, telemetry and control, ground support, and the construction of science application systems, and leads the development of the UVI, LIA, and MAG payloads. The European side is responsible for the payload module and SXI development, and provides the launch vehicle, launch site, and active-phase telemetry and control support.
The satellite's main payloads are all jointly developed by China and Europe. The SXI is led by the University of Leicester in the UK, with Chinese participation; the UVI is led by China, with Europe providing critical components; the LIA and MAG are led by China, with multiple leading European research institutions participating in development and calibration.
During in-orbit operations, Chinese and European scientists will jointly conduct data processing and analysis, with scientific data openly shared with research institutions worldwide.
"The satellite's long-term, stable observational data is expected to fundamentally enhance human understanding of solar wind-magnetosphere interactions and space weather mechanisms, providing crucial support for improving space weather forecasting accuracy and ensuring near-Earth space safety," Wang said.
He noted that this mission is another landmark collaboration in space science between China and Europe since the Double Star mission of the last century, and represents one of China's most deeply international collaborative aerospace projects to date. The model of "joint knowledge creation, shared risks, and shared outcomes" offers a replicable and scalable paradigm for new forms of international scientific and technological cooperation in outer space.
Dai Lei, chief designer of the SMILE science application system at NSSC, recalled that in the early stages of the project, the Chinese team had to adjust to ESA's strict engineering testing standards. Even payloads already tested in China needed to undergo ESA's testing procedures.
"After ten years of mutual adaptation, we have not only become familiar with each other's workflows but also ensured the satellite and instruments meet both Chinese and European standards. This close collaboration has created a strong foundation for broader cooperation in the future," Dai said.
SHARED FUTURE IN SPACE
The implementation of the SMILE mission represents a key step in China's contribution of cutting-edge, original knowledge to humanity's space science repository, advancing China's historic transformation from a participant to a core contributor in international space science, Wang said.
During the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) period, China will advance its space science program. China is actively exploring further cooperation with ESA in scientific data sharing, joint telemetry and control, and mission coordination, according to Wang.
"The foundation of international cooperation is mutual trust, followed by friendship, and comparable capabilities between both parties," Wang said. "We hope to build a community with a shared future for mankind in space, and SMILE is precisely a vivid practice of this vision."
"We have only one space, only one Earth. The SMILE satellite is not merely a scientific satellite; it is a bridge spanning national borders, carrying humanity's shared hope and wisdom in addressing the challenge of space weather together," Dai added.
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