Smile lifts off into space (artist impression)

This is a still from a cinematic animation. Click here to view the animation in full.

3… 2… 1… lift off!

The joint European-Chinese Smile mission will launch this spring from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, on a Vega-C rocket.

Using X-ray and ultraviolet cameras, as well as particle and magnetic field detectors, Smile will give humankind its first complete look at how Earth reacts to streams and bursts of particles and radiation from the Sun.

By improving our understanding of the solar wind, solar storms and space weather, Smile will fill a stark gap in our understanding of the Solar System and help keep our technology and astronauts safe in the future.

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[Image description: A tall, slim rocket is lifting off from a launchpad. Bright light bursts from the bottom of the rocket, and smoke billows all around the lower half of the frame. Around the rocket are four vertical metal structures that look like pylons. The scene is set at night and we see stars in the sky.]