Smile lifted into place

Inside this Vega-C rocket fairing is the Smile spacecraft, ready to meet the rest of the rocket that will take it into space.

Smile is due to launch on 19 May 2026. Preparations are taking place on the launch pad, with the rocket already built up and waiting inside the mobile building seen in the background of this image. About four hours before launch, the building will roll away to reveal the complete rocket inside.

Vega-C is made up of four stages, with the fairing (a nose cone that splits into two after launch) sitting on top of the fourth stage. The fairing will protect Smile during its ascent to space through Earth’s atmosphere. Almost five minutes after liftoff, the fairing will split 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 the nose cone of a rocket hanging from a crane in front of an open technical building. Inside the building stands the rest of the rocket, with a platform at the top where people stand, waiting for the nose cone to arrive.]