Kourou (French Guiana), 30 April. (askanews) – The Italian Vega-C launcher will put into orbit the Smile (Solar Wind Ionospheric Link Explorer) space mission, which was born as a result of cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). The goal: to better understand the interaction between the Sun and Earth. The launch is currently scheduled to take place from the European Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, at the end of 2025. Vega-C panel. Vega-C will place SMILE in low Earth orbit, where the spacecraft will travel to a distance of about 121,000 kilometers from the Earth's surface for continuous observation of the polar regions. North, before approaching 5,000 kilometers to transport its trove of data collected at ground stations in Antarctica and China, Smile will obtain the first X-ray images and videos of the solar wind meeting the magnetic bubble that protects Earth, which will provide longer, complementary ultraviolet images Continuous observation of the northern lights Smile marks the first occasion in which ESA and China have jointly selected, designed, built, launched and managed a space science mission. ESA is also responsible for the Smile payload module (which houses its science instruments), the spacecraft's test facilities, and the ground station mainland in Antarctica, and will then contribute to scientific activities.
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