ESA Smile spacecraft lifts off on Vega-C for solar wind mission

The Smile spacecraft lifted off on a Vega-C rocket from Europe Spaceport in French Guiana at 04:52 BST on 19 May 2026. The European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences developed the mission to study how Earth responds to the solar wind. The first signal from the spacecraft reached the New Norcia ground station in Australia at 06:48 CEST. Solar panels deployed at 06:49 CEST. Smile carries an X-ray camera to make the first X-ray observations of Earth magnetic shield. An ultraviolet camera will record northern lights for 45 hours continuously. The spacecraft will reach an elliptical orbit extending 121000 km above the North Pole before descending to 5000 km above the South Pole. ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher said the mission will show Earth invisible armour in action. He noted 25 years of cooperation between ESA and China. ESA Smile Project Manager David Agnolon said the mission marks the first time ESA and China have jointly selected, designed, implemented, launched and operated a spacecraft. Data collection starts in July after booms unfold and camera covers open. The European Space Agency provided 130 million euros for the project. Contributions came from institutes and companies in 14 European countries.