In 2025, coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Europe and the celebration of the European Space Agency's (ESA) 50-year history, the "SMILE" satellite jointly achieved by the Chinese Academy of Sciences and ESA will be officially launched from the Guiana Space Center in French Guiana aboard the Vega-C rocket, attempting to unravel key mysteries related to the Earth's space environment. This project is rare in many aspects and is considered a brilliant stroke in the history of Sino-European space research cooperation.
Today, we are leaving Earth and heading for space to learn about a scientific project that has milestone significance in many aspects: the SMILE satellite. The name of this project sounds very friendly. It is an acronym for "Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer," which translates directly into Chinese as "Solar Wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Connection Explorer." The mission of this satellite is clear: to help humanity better understand the Earth's magnetosphere, an important protective shield invisible to the naked eye, study the interaction between solar winds and the Earth's magnetic field, figure out how solar activity affects our planet's "space weather," and further ensure the smooth and safe operation of human communications.
The Three Puzzles
Specifically, the SMILE satellite will face three major space puzzles: First, when the solar wind directly collides with the Earth's magnetic field, who wins or loses? In fact, no matter who wins, humans suffer. The solar wind is a high-speed stream of charged particles that can trigger the "magnetic reconnection" phenomenon upon collision with the magnetic field, causing auroras while also potentially leading to satellite malfunctions and power grid failures. The task of the SMILE satellite is to precisely capture the rhythm and intensity of these tugs and pulls, uncovering the hidden patterns behind them.
Second, why does the "backside" of the Earth also get affected? You might think that danger lies where the sun is. However, this is not the case. The solar wind stretches the Earth's magnetic field into a "magnetic tail," and once the tail breaks, it triggers a "magnetic substorm," causing new aurora eruptions and further damaging the Earth. For decades, scientists have been searching: who triggers this "storm on the backside"? This is exactly what the SMILE satellite aims to solve.
Third, can we predict "space disasters" earlier? In 1859, a solar eruption lit up the auroras over the Caribbean, causing the Earth's telegraph system to collapse completely. If such a "geomagnetic storm" occurred today, communication, navigation, and power grids would all collapse. Currently, we can only issue warnings one hour in advance, but the SMILE satellite hopes to extend this time to days ahead.
The Past and Present of Cooperation Between the CAS and ESA
"Solar wind-Magnetosphere-Ionosphere Connection Explorer" is not only a significant scientific exploration but also a cross-continental, multi-year international cooperation practice between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the European Space Agency (ESA). A firsthand account explains everything. Carl Berchtold, from the European Space Agency, specializes in international cooperation. He was interviewed at the ESA headquarters in Paris this spring and pointed out that the most unique aspect of the SMILE satellite project is that it is truly a 50-50 partnership.
In the aerospace field, such cooperation is extremely rare. In the past, most international collaborations were structured as 80/20 or even 90/10, especially during decision-making periods, where one party clearly dominated. However, the SMILE satellite project is different. It is a joint exploration conducted equally from start to finish by both Chinese and European sides on a completely equal basis. In terms of practice, for example, the instruments carried by the mission, both Chinese and European sides independently developed two different instruments that complement each other to support the scientific objectives of the mission, following roughly a 50/50 ratio: for instance, China is responsible for the propulsion module, while Europe handles the rest, providing ground support networks.
This joint project did not appear overnight. Carl Berchtold mentioned that its origin can be traced back to the early 2000s, when the ESA's "Cluster" mission was underway, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed through the "Double Star" mission to complement it. This data sharing and combination of scientific results laid the foundation for the birth of the SMILE satellite project. Looking further back, the first cooperation between China and Europe in the aerospace field can be traced back to the 1980s, but at that time, it was mainly exchanges and conferences. True scientific cooperation began with "Double Star."
Carl Berchtold explained that following "Double Star" and "Cluster," the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences officially began conceptualizing a new joint mission, initially defining its technical characteristics, such as payload weight and the number of launch vehicles used, but without delving into details. By 2015, at a meeting held in Chengdu, there was a heated discussion about what could be done if there was an opportunity to conduct a space mission based on these technical conditions. That meeting featured approximately 120 presentations from Europe and China. A few months later, at a meeting in Copenhagen, the conditions became clearer: the project must be a collaboration between Chinese and European teams. At the Copenhagen meeting, there were 40 to 45 joint presentations, and after review by both Chinese and European sides, the SMILE satellite project was selected,脱颖而出 from over 40 joint proposals, becoming the project chosen by both sides.
Carl Berchtold summarized, "The SMILE satellite was selected based on its scientific value, and the evaluation team consisted of top scientists from both China and Europe to ensure that the topic was the best and most scientifically meaningful." He noted that despite setbacks caused by factors such as the pandemic, choosing to launch this year was carefully considered: 2025 is a peak period for solar activity, with more frequent solar eruptions, providing favorable opportunities for the SMILE satellite's research.
Details of the SMILE Satellite Project
This spacecraft is equipped with four core scientific instruments. These core scientific instruments are Soft X-ray Imager (SXI): capable of taking the first-ever X-ray "panorama" of the Earth's magnetosphere from space; Ultraviolet Auroral Imager (UVI): used for continuous observation of the Northern and Southern Lights to analyze magnetic field activities; Magnetometer (MAG): measuring subtle changes in the Earth's surrounding magnetic field; Light Ion Analyzer (LIA): directly "sampling" the speed, energy, and composition of solar wind particles.
These instruments work together to provide continuous image and data records lasting 40 hours, something unprecedented. Through this method, humanity will achieve the first "dynamic imaging" of the entire solar wind-magnetosphere-ionosphere interaction.
So, how exactly will the SMILE satellite project be implemented? The SMILE satellite will be launched from the European Spaceport in French Guiana in late 2025, aboard the European Vega-C launch vehicle. The spacecraft will enter a highly elliptical, high-inclination orbit, reaching up to 120,000 kilometers above the Earth's surface - about one-third of the distance to the Moon. This orbit allows it to continuously "overlook" the entire magnetospheric boundary, forming a true "global perspective."
Regarding the spaceport in French Guiana, Carl Berchtold explained: "ESA missions have traditionally been launched from French Guiana. Of course, we chose French Guiana because it is almost on the equator. This way, we can take advantage of the Earth's rotation to promote launches more effectively."
Currently, all components of the spacecraft have gathered at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC) in the Netherlands. Since early 2025, the Chinese and European teams have completed the assembly of the spacecraft and are now conducting comprehensive tests to ensure it can withstand the harsh space environment. After being ready by September 2025, it will be transported to the launch site to embark on its journey. Carl Berchtold added that currently, about 35 to 40 Chinese scientists and engineers are stationed at ESTEC, jointly participating in the final integration testing of the spacecraft. This deep collaboration is built on trust and understanding, based on complementary technology and academic trust.
In terms of project division, China provides the propulsion module, flight platform, and three scientific instruments, while Europe is responsible for the payload module, launch services, and one scientific instrument. After the mission, the data collected by the SMILE satellite will also be shared equally by Chinese and European scientists for analysis - this is crucial for the openness and integrity of scientific research.
Challenges and Meeting Challenges
The SMILE satellite represents an important exploration of how humanity views the relationship between space environments and life on Earth. The magnetosphere is our barrier that insulates us from the universe. It shields us from direct hits by solar storms and cosmic rays. Without it, Earth might have lost its atmosphere, water, and life long ago, just like Mars. Observations by the SMILE satellite are expected to help us better understand the dynamic changes of this critical defense line.
Of course, this mission is not without challenges. There are differences in technology, systems, and culture between China and Europe, but Carl Berchtold believes that as long as there is trust and dialogue, there are no unsolvable problems. This is what brings him the most comfort. He stated: "In the current era of great uncertainty in international situations, we can still complete such a high-level cooperation, which is the most enjoyable and rewarding experience of my career personally" and "in international cooperation, there will always be problems and troubles. But if you trust each other and engage in good dialogue, you can solve these issues and should address them immediately, establishing trustworthy channels... Today's situation is much more complex than ten years ago. So we must consider this. The European Space Agency does not participate in politics. Member states may involve themselves in politics, but the ESA has no political attributes. We believe that we can still carry out international cooperation through mechanisms, adhering to these mechanisms."
When choosing areas of cooperation, it is relatively easy to choose fields like space science or earth science. Many other fields are much more difficult due to political factors, sensitivity, or commercial influences. However, we can still collaborate in cosmic research that concerns all of us. Especially against the backdrop of the advancement of Sino-European scientific cooperation projects such as "Dragon" and "Einstein Probe," Carl Berchtold talked about the impressive speed of China's development. He said, "For example, the success of China's space station, Tianwen probe, Mars landing, and Zhurong Mars rover are tremendous achievements made in a short time, witnessed by the world."
Perhaps one day in the future, when we can truly achieve real-time early warning of "space weather," when our satellites no longer lose contact due to solar storms, and when astronauts can carry out scientific tasks on Earth's orbit more safely, that moment, we might remember that it was missions like the SMILE satellite that brought humanity closer to space.
Source: rfi
Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7515486965026931254/
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