China-Europe SMILE satellite set for April 9 launch

The Chinese Academy of Sciences announced Thursday that in March 2026, the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, or SMILE satellite, jointly developed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the European Space Agency (ESA), has completed all pre-launch preparations at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, French Guiana. 

The satellite has now been mated to the Vega-C launch vehicle, and is scheduled to launch on April 9 local time (afternoon of April 9 Beijing time), with the mission entering its final launch countdown phase.

The SMILE mission entered full launch implementation phase after passing the joint China-Europe factory acceptance review on October 28, 2025. At the end of November 2025, the propellant required for the satellite departed from Shanghai, arriving at Kourou port in early February 2026 and being transferred to the launch site. On February 11, 2026, the flight model and ground support equipment departed from the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands, sailing across the Atlantic from Amsterdam port aboard the cargo vessel Colibri, arriving at Kourou port on February 26, 2026, and being successfully transferred to the launch site.

Upon arrival at the launch site, the joint China-Europe test team immediately began intensive testing work. Test results showed that all satellite systems were in stable condition with performance meeting expectations. With the completion of mating between the satellite and launch vehicle, this marks that all pre-launch preparations are ready.

The SMILE mission is China's first mission-level, comprehensive deep cooperation space science exploration mission with the European Space Agency, and also serves as the culminating mission of the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Strategic Priority Program on Space Science (Phase II). The satellite will pioneer the use of soft X-ray imaging technology to achieve, for the first time, global imaging of Earth's magnetosphere large-scale structure, providing innovative observational methods for revealing the mysteries of solar wind-magnetosphere interactions. This mission is expected to achieve a series of original major scientific breakthroughs in areas such as space weather forecasting and fundamental understanding of magnetospheric physics.

Currently, the launch window has been confirmed, and the joint China-Europe team is closely monitoring and confirming the launch site weather conditions and the final technical status of the rocket and satellite, working to ensure the successful on-schedule launch of the SMILE satellite and jointly opening a new chapter in China-Europe cooperation in the field of space science exploration.