Smile meets Maxwell

This gold-cloaked spacecraft, surrounded by light-blue spiky foam wedges, is Smile – ESA’s mission designed to monitor and understand space weather. Here, inside the Maxwell Test Chamber at ESA’s ESTEC centre in the Netherlands, the spacecraft is undergoing critical electromagnetic testing.

To ensure the readiness of an entire satellite, ESA has created a 6000 square metre cleanroom complex nestled in sandy dunes along the Dutch coast, filled with test equipment to simulate all aspects of spaceflight: the ESTEC Test Centre. Europe’s largest satellite test facility, it is equipped to reproduce every aspect of spaceflight – from the vacuum of orbit to violent launch vibrations. This unique resource supports ESA projects and Member States industry. This unique resource supports ESA projects and Member States' industry, strengthening European competitiveness.