ESA title
Science & Exploration

Smile

Imaging Earth’s magnetic environment

Smile

The mission

Smile will use four science instruments to study how Earth responds to the solar wind from the Sun. This will improve our understanding of solar storms, geomagnetic storms and the science of space weather.

The launch

  • Launch window: 8 April – 7 May 2026
  • Launch location: Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana
  • Launch vehicle: Vega-C
  • Destination: highly elliptical orbit around Earth
Smile

Latest

Video 00:07:13
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Science & Exploration

Good to go – Let's Smile (episode 4)

21/11/2025 1034 views 18 likes
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Story
ESA and CAS teams working on the Smile mission
Science & Exploration

Smile approved for launch in spring 2026

20/11/2025 3603 views 40 likes
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Story
Smile sees the light
Science & Exploration

Smile passes gruelling set of tests

15/07/2025 3147 views 40 likes
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Video 00:07:25
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Science & Exploration

Testing, testing, testing – Let’s Smile (episode 3)

15/07/2025 2400 views 36 likes
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Video 00:02:27
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An animation showing ESA’s Smile mission watching on as the Sun’s solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field.
Science & Exploration

Meet Smile

04/06/2025 2593 views 61 likes
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Image
Science & Exploration

Smile meets Maxwell

08/04/2025 2842 views 64 likes
Smile meets Maxwell
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Story
Perfect placement for Smile’s payload module
Science & Exploration

When two become one: engineers get Smile ready for launch

06/03/2025 2838 views 48 likes
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Video 00:07:01
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Science & Exploration

Completing the spacecraft – Let’s Smile (episode 2)

06/03/2025 1250 views 25 likes
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Science & Exploration

Smile mission poster

07/02/2025 407 views 3 likes
Smile mission poster
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Video 00:01:22
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Science & Exploration

Smile's other half arrives | Let’s Smile (action snippet)

12/12/2024 2051 views 28 likes
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Story
Science & Exploration

Smiles all round: Vega-C to launch ESA solar wind mission

30/04/2024 3321 views 35 likes
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Science & Exploration

The Smile mission

30/04/2024 1332 views 17 likes
The Smile mission
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Science & Exploration

Smile spacecraft during a test of the magnetometer boom dep…

08/12/2023 360 views 2 likes
Smile spacecraft during a test of the magnetometer boom deployment
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Science & Exploration

Smile spacecraft during a spacecraft-launcher fit-check

08/12/2023 343 views 3 likes
Smile spacecraft during a spacecraft-launcher fit-check
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The Smile mission
Science & Exploration

ESA gives go-ahead for Smile mission with China

05/03/2019 7824 views 99 likes
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More items
  • Video
    Science & Exploration

    Introducing the Smile mission – Let’s Smile (episode 1)

    13/11/2024 3747 views 81 likes
    Open item
  • Video
    Science & Exploration

    Completing the spacecraft – Let’s Smile (episode 2)

    06/03/2025 1250 views 25 likes
    Open item
  • Video
    Science & Exploration

    Testing, testing, testing – Let’s Smile (episode 3)

    15/07/2025 2400 views 36 likes
    Open item
  • Video
    Science & Exploration

    Good to go – Let's Smile (episode 4)

    21/11/2025 1034 views 18 likes
    Open item

Smile overview

Focus on
Solar mass ejection reaches Earth
Science & Exploration

Smile factsheet

Overview of the Smile mission

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The Smile mission
Science & Exploration

Top three mysteries Smile will solve

598 views 3 likes
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Story
Four-satellite Cluster mission
Science & Exploration

From Cluster to Smile

274 views 2 likes
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More about Smile

Smile spacecraft specs Smile's instruments Smile at the Chinese Academy of Sciences

More about the Sun-Earth connection

The Sun Space weather What are solar flares? The solar wind

Multimedia

Smile images Smile videos Smile GIFs Smile poster

Follow us

@ESA_Smile @science.esa.int ESA Space Science @esascience