FRANCE-OVERSEAS-SPACE
The European Vega-C launcher, operated by Avio, carrying the SMILE (Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) satellite on its first flight, launches as part of a mission developed and carried out in collaboration between the ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) at the Guiana Space Centre in Kourou, on the French overseas department of Guiana, on May 19, 2026. The SMILE satellite, designed to observe solar winds hitting Earth's magnetic field, was placed in orbit on May 19, an hour after the mission was launched from the Kourou space center in French Guiana. (Photo by RONAN LIETAR / AFP)
foto Ronan Lietar
FotoID: HN:20260519711406
