Smile's magnetometer working well in space

This is the first data to be shown from the magnetometer (MAG) instrument on the European-Chinese Smile mission. MAG is measuring the magnetic field carried by the solar wind, to compare the Sun's attack (the solar wind) against Earth's defence (its magnetosphere).

Led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, MAG was switched on on 27 June 2026. This graph shows the magnetic field measured before (left) and after (right) the boom that the instrument sits on was deployed (04:55 UTC). The MAG sensors sit at the end of the three-metre-long boom to reduce disturbance from the main spacecraft.

More information about Smile’s in-space commissioning and preparations for science

[Image description: The main part of the image, at the centre, is a graph of Time (x-axis) against magnetic field (y-axis). The graph is titled 'SMILE MAG Sensor Data During Boom Deployment'. The graph has two lines: one blue line that a key tells us corresponds to 'Sensor A' and one orange line that a key tells us corresponds to 'Sensor B'. Both lines start straight horizontally, then suddenly drop at about 04:55 UTC, before continuing horizontally. Two inset images zooming in the blue line show 'SMILE MAG Sensor A Total Field ASD Before/After Boom Deployment'. The before inset is a colourful graph, indicating lots of magnetic field measured. The after inset is a less colourful graph, indicating less magnetic field measured.]