Labelled Smile spacecraft
Smile will reveal how Earth's magnetic field reacts to the streams of particles and bursts of energy that the Sun constantly throws in our direction. It will give humankind its first complete look at how the solar wind leads to geomagnetic storms and auroras.
The magnetosphere that surrounds Earth is invisible to our eyes, but with its X-ray camera (SXI), Smile will reveal this shield that protects us from the Sun. With its UV camera (UVI), it will watch the northern lights for 44 hours at a time to further understand Earth's response to solar storms.
Its findings will improve our models of the magnetic bubble that surrounds Earth, ultimately helping to protect space-based technology and the lives of any humans in orbit around Earth, as well as infrastructure on Earth’s surface.
Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS).
