Smile arrives at the Vega-C launch pad

A lorry carries the fairing of a Vega-C rocket, with the Smile spacecraft inside, to the launch pad.

Smile is due to launch on 19 May 2026. Preparations are taking place on the launch pad, with the rocket’s four stages already assembled inside the mobile building on the left of this image. About four hours before launch, the building will roll away to reveal the complete rocket inside.

The fairing (a nose cone that splits into two parts after launch) sits on top of the rocket’s fourth stage. The fairing will protect Smile during its ascent to space through Earth’s atmosphere. Almost five minutes after liftoff, the fairing will open, revealing Smile inside. At that point, Smile will still be attached to the third and fourth stages of the Vega-C.

Find out more about Smile’s journey from launch to orbit

Find out more about the Vega launch site

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

The Vega-C programme is led by ESA, working with Avio as prime contractor and design authority. It ensures that Europe has versatile and independent access to space.

[Image description: A photo showing a lorry driving along a narrow road with a large rocket nose cone standing upright on its trailer. Ahead of the lorry (to the left in this image) is a tall rectangular cream-coloured building, which has the ESA and Vega logos on its side. The building is surrounded by metal pylons.]