Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Launch Successful
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Instantaneous launch window.
Launch Window
May 19, 2026, 3:52 a.m. - May 19, 2026, 3:52 a.m.
Instantaneous launch window.
May 19, 2026, 3:52 a.m. - May 19, 2026, 3:52 a.m.
On 19 May 2026 at 00:52 a.m. local time (03:52 UTC, 05:52 CEST), Avio will launch the European Space Agency’s (ESA) and Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (Smile) scientific satellite. The mission, designated “VV29”, will be carried out by a Vega-C launcher, the first …
Le 19 mai 2026 à 0 h 52, heure locale (03 h 52 UTC, 05 h 52 CEST), Avio procédera au lancement du satellite scientifique Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), mission conjointe de l’ESA et de la CAS. Le vol, désigné « VV29 », sera réalisé par un …
Il 19 maggio 2026 alle 00:52 ora locale (03:52 UTC, 05:52 CEST), Avio lancerà il satellite scientifico Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (Smile) dell’ESA e la CAS. Il volo, denominato “VV29” sarà effettuato da un lanciatore Vega-C, per la prima volta operato da Avio, che decollerà dal Centro Spaziale …
Joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to investigate the interaction between Earth’s protective shield – the magnetosphere – and the supersonic solar wind.
Rescheduled for May 19.
Launch delayed due to a technical issue on a subsystem component production line. New launch date TBA.
Official Webcast by European Space Agency, ESA has started
Tweaked T-0.
Liftoff.
Vega-C is a single-body rocket nearly 35 m high with that weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad. As with Vega, its main elements are three solid-propellant stages, an upper stage powered by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.
See DetailsAvio S.p.A. is an Italian company operating in the aerospace sector with its head office in Colleferro near Rome, Italy. Founded in 1908, it is present in Italy and abroad with different commercial offices and 10 production sites.
INFO WIKI
Smile is the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer, a brand-new space mission currently in the making. It will study space weather and the interaction between the solar wind and Earth’s environment.
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