European Space Agency Launches SMILE Satellite to Study Earth’s Magnetic Shield and Solar Wind Interactions
The European Space Agency launched the SMILE satellite from the Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana aboard the Vega-C rocket. This mission, developed in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will observe for the first time how solar winds interact with Earth’s magnetic field. The satellite will detect X-ray radiation to study Earth’s protective magnetic shield at the magnetopause and polar cusps, improving space weather models crucial for satellite and telecommunications infrastructure protection.