Science & Space
European-Chinese Smile Mission Clears Way for Solar-Wind Science
The Smile mission is ready to study how Earth responds to charged particles from the Sun.
What happened
The European-Chinese Smile mission was declared ready for science operations on 23 September after completing in-space commissioning. The spacecraft launched on 19 May and reached its target orbit on 20 June, where it will examine Earth’s response to the solar wind—the stream of charged particles emitted by the Sun.
Why it matters
The mission will generate scientific data on interactions between the solar wind and Earth, expanding understanding of this space environment.
Source: ESA