ESA-China SMILE mission lifts off to deliver first global images of Earth's magnetosphere The SMILE mission developed jointly by the European Space Agency and China has reached orbit after more than a decade of preparations and cooperation.
The SMILE mission developed jointly by the European Space Agency and China has reached orbit after more than a decade of preparations and cooperation.
The mission's Vega C rocket lifted off at 11:52 p. m. Eastern, May 18 (0352 UTC, or 0052 local time, May 19) from Kourou, French Guiana, in South America.
