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The European-Chinese SMILE spacecraft is now in orbit watching solar wind slam into Earth’s magnetic shield — four instruments tracking the collision in real time

At 05:52 Central European time on 19 May 2026, a Vega-C rocket climbed away from Europe’s spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, carrying a spacecraft built to answer a deceptively simple question: what ...
Popular Science

SMILE spacecraft will use X-ray vision to study the northern lights and more

🛍️ Amazon Prime Day: The best deals chosen by our editors 🛍️ By Andrew Paul Published May 19, 2026 12:30 PM EDT Add Popular Science (opens in a new tab) More information Adding us as a Preferred ...

SMILE satellite marks new chapter in China's space science development

SMILE addresses a gap in China's space exploration capabilities and marks a pivotal transformation – from isolated ...
The Next Web

Vega-C rocket to launch Europe and China’s first entirely joint space mission

The European Space Agency (ESA) has secured a ride for its solar wind satellite. The Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer — or Smile for short — will blast into space aboard a Vega-C ...