SMILE: Europe's first major joint space project with China launches in two days (xataka.com)

• Launch on May 19, 2026 from Kourou on Vega-C.
• Studies solar wind-magnetosphere interaction via X-ray and UV imaging.
• ESA-China cooperation; originally scheduled for April, delayed by technical issue.

"The SMILE mission (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is scheduled to launch on May 19, 2026, from the European spaceport in French Guiana. It aims to study the interaction of the solar wind with Earth's magnetosphere using X-ray and UV imaging, a joint effort between ESA and Chinese scientific institutions. This could improve space weather forecasting. A technical issue with the Vega-C rocket delayed the original April launch. After reaching orbit, SMILE will operate in a highly elliptical orbit, taking data over the North Pole and transmitting it over the South Pole."