The European Space Agency ’s ( ESA ) science programme committee has approved the Solar wind and magnetic Link Explorer ( Smile ) mission joint venture with China . The aim is to understand interactions between particles in solar wind and the Earth ’s magnetic shield . The three - year Smile mission is set for launch on a European rocket in 2023 after which it will enter an Earth orbit and send data to ESA and Chinese Academy of Sciences ground stations . More information The Smile proposal was led by UCL’s Mullard Space Science Laboratory in the UK and the National Space Science Center (NSSC) – State Key Laboratory of Space Weather in China. The mission will use four instruments , two from Europe and Canada and one from China .
The European Space Agency ’s ( ESA ) science programme committee has approved the Solar wind and magnetic Link Explorer ( Smile ) mission joint venture with China . The aim is to understand interactions between particles in solar wind and the Earth ’s magnetic shield . The three - year Smile mission is set for launch on a European rocket in 2023 after which it will enter an Earth orbit and send data to ESA and Chinese Academy of Sciences ground stations . The mission will use four instruments , two from Europe and Canada and one from China .