Smile in the Maxwell Test Chamber
The gold-cloaked Smile spacecraft in the Maxwell Test Chamber at Europe’s largest satellite test facility, ESTEC, as part of its ‘space environment testing’ phase.
Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Smile is due to launch on a European Vega-C rocket in 2026. Follow the latest mission news via esa.int/smile.
[Image description: A spacecraft inside an anechoic chamber, which is used for testing purposes. The spacecraft is covered in gold-coloured thermal insulation. Several vertical poles stand around the spacecraft, forming a circle. The chamber walls are lined with blue pyramid-shaped foam to absorb sound waves and electromagnetic radiation, ensuring accurate testing conditions.]
