SMILE was developed jointly by the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The European Space Agency provided 130 million euros in financial support for SMILE.
SMILE launched at 05:52 Italian time from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, on a Vega C rocket.
SMILE's Soft X-ray Imager was developed by a consortium led by the University of Leicester.
SMILE is the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer mission.
SMILE is expected to remain operational for at least 3 years.
Avio debuted as a launch operator for SMILE.
SMILE was released into a circular orbit at 706 kilometers altitude 57 minutes after launch.
SMILE is a scientific mission designed to address gaps in understanding of the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s magnetosphere.
Teledyne Space Imaging’s CCD370 sensors are part of SMILE’s Soft X-ray Imager.
SMILE will be the first mission to image Earth’s magnetosphere using X-ray light.
SMILE’s Soft X-ray Imager is designed to capture soft X-ray emissions produced as solar wind particles interact with Earth’s magnetic field.
SMILE will use four science instruments to study how Earth responds to the solar wind.
SMILE aims to improve knowledge of solar storms, geomagnetic storms, and broader space-weather processes that can affect technology and operations.
SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) lifted off at 04:52 BST from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.
SMILE will observe the solar wind and its effects on Earth’s magnetic field.
SMILE is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The Liège Space Centre contributed to the development of SMILE’s ultraviolet instrument.
Europe is providing SMILE's payload module and two solar arrays.
Smile is designed to improve understanding of space weather and Earth’s magnetic environment's response to the solar wind.