Smile launch timeline

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It will give humankind its first complete look at how Earth reacts to streams of particles and bursts of radiation from the Sun.

This infographic lists the main milestones in the lead up to, and following, launch of the spacecraft. The launch window is set for 8 April – 7 May 2026, on a Vega-C rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana.

Discover more about the mission at esa.int/smile

Follow the launch preparations via our dedicated webpage.

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: An infographic presenting the launch timeline of the Smile mission. The steps run from the arrival of the spacecraft at Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana (far left) to the transfer to its science orbit in space (far right). At the centre of the graphic is the launch of the spacecraft. Each step is accompanied by a small graphic and the date it will happen in comparison to the launch, for example the arrival is launch minus eight weeks.]