Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Space
Space
Science
Andrew Jones

SMILE! Europe and China move toward 2026 launch of space weather mission

A white rocket fires flames from its engines as it flies above a curve of the Earth into space.

The European Space Agency is set to launch a joint space science mission alongside China in early 2026 after a long collaboration.

The Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) which aims to study the interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere. The mission aims to shed light on space weather processes and their effects on Earth.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.