China-Europe SMILE satellite begins operations with first aurora images
The joint Chinese Academy of Sciences and European Space Agency mission has passed its in-orbit test review and released its first images and data, including the first ultraviolet footage of the full ring of northern lights since 2008.
The China-Europe SMILE satellite has passed its in-orbit test review and entered scientific operations, releasing the first batch of images and data from all four of its instruments on 30 September 2026, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) announced, as reported by CGTN.
The release includes the first uninterrupted panoramic views of northern-hemisphere auroras captured by SMILE’s Ultraviolet Imager (UVI), a supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud from the Soft X-ray Imager, and the first high-resolution in-orbit data from very high orbits via the Magnetometer and Low-Energy Ion Analyzer. ESA also released UVI video recorded on 24 July 2026 — the first ultraviolet footage of the full ring of northern lights since 2008.
SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer), jointly developed by CAS and ESA, launched on 19 May 2026 from Europe’s Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana, and reached its observation orbit on 20 June 2026, with a perigee of 5,120 km and an apogee of 120,900 km. In-orbit tests showed all units working normally, according to the CAS National Space Science Center.
The mission will produce the first panoramic images of how the solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetosphere — the engine of space weather that can disrupt satellites, power grids and communications. ESA says the UVI will observe the northern lights for up to 45 hours at a time. SMILE concludes the CAS Strategic Priority Research Program in Space Science (Phase II), following the 2003 Double Star mission.
Sources: CGTN (https://news.cgtn.com/news/2026-09-30/China-Europe-SMILE-mission-begins-operations-with-first-aurora-images-1QRqVFZrpMA/share_amp.html); ESA SMILE mission pages (https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/Smile).
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