The European-Chinese Smile spacecraft has attained its operational orbit after a month of precise maneuvers. The team is currently preparing to activate the scientific instruments, and data collection on Earth’s magnetosphere is scheduled to commence this fall.
The path to the target trajectory
The spacecraft was launched on May 19, 2026, aboard a European Vega-C rocket. Over the course of a month, the main engine was fired 12 times to gradually increase the spacecraft’s altitude.
Eleven engine firings progressively elevated the apogee of the elliptical orbit, and the twelfth maneuver achieved the targeted perigee altitude of 5,027 km. These maneuvers utilized approximately 90% of the total propellant allocated to the spacecraft prior to launch.
How the spacecraft will work
At a maximum altitude of 120,920 kilometers above the North Pole, the Smile instruments will monitor Earth’s magnetosphere and the auroral phenomena resulting from solar wind particles interacting with the planet’s magnetic shield. At its lowest altitude, 5,027 kilometers above the South Pole, the spacecraft will ingress a zone of stable radio communication to transmit the collected data.
Depictions of the Smile spacecraft’s maneuvers and the deployment of the magnetometer boom are shown as an illustration. Photo: ESA. Source: youtube.com / @ESAScienceHub.
This trajectory significantly diverges from the majority of missions engineered to examine the magnetosphere, it is very elongated. While other satellites function within the magnetosphere, capturing local plasma parameters at designated locations, Smile’s instruments will, for the first time, offer a comprehensive global perspective on the interplay between the magnetosphere and the solar wind in the X-ray spectrum through external observation.
Condition of the spacecraft and fuel supply
The engine’s performance exceeded expectations, leading to fuel conservation. Approximately 164 kg of fuel remains onboard to sustain the trajectory, thereby extending the potential operational lifespan beyond the initially planned three years.
The spacecraft is in excellent condition. Operational control is managed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Throughout the maneuvering phase, ESA coordinated communications through its ground stations in French Guiana and Antarctica.
The ESA team is presently in Beijing to commission the scientific instruments. This phase is expected to conclude by the end of August 2026. The comprehensive scientific program is scheduled to commence in September.
Provided by phys.org
