Sino-European joint space mission enters flight model phase

BEIJING -- A China-Europe joint space mission, Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE), has entered the flight model phase in an all-around way, according to the National Space Science Center (NSSC) under the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).

After a four-day discussion and consultation, the review experts unanimously agreed that SMILE has successfully passed the critical design review, marking an important milestone in the development stage of SMILE, the NSSC said.

The review experts believe that SMILE has completed the development of prototypes as required. After testing and experimental verification, the functions and performance indexes of each prototype product meet the task requirements, and the quality and technical status of the prototype development process are under control, according to the experts.

They also noted that the satellite and payloads have been designed as required with clear interfaces and technical status and feasible designs. The functions and performance indexes also meet the task requirements.

SMILE is a collaborative science mission between the CAS and the European Space Agency to build a deeper understanding of the Sun-Earth link by observing the dynamic interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere.

The satellite is scheduled to be launched from a space launch center in Kourou in French Guiana in the first half of 2025.