The Smile Mission Is Officially Open for Science

By Space.Fan Editorial DeskSeptember 30, 2026 at 7:05 AM UTC

A new spacecraft is ready to study how the Sun's constant flow of particles hits Earth's protective magnetic shield.

Image · ESA

The Drop

After months of careful testing in orbit, the Smile spacecraft has been cleared to begin its primary science mission. This spacecraft is a team effort between European and Chinese space agencies. Its goal is to watch how the Sun’s wind, made of charged particles, crashes into the invisible magnetic bubble that surrounds our . To do this, the mission team spent the summer checking all systems, including the four special tools on board that measure light and particles in space. One of these tools, an ultraviolet camera, has already captured a clear view of the northern lights glowing in a complete ring around the North Pole. This camera can record these lights for nearly two days at a time, allowing scientists to see exactly how they change when space weather gets bumpy. Another camera, designed to take X-ray pictures, is also working well. It successfully snapped images of distant exploding s to prove it was ready for use. Now that the mission is fully operational, it will provide a front-row seat to the constant interaction between our Sun and Earth. By watching the edges of our magnetic shield, researchers hope to see how solar storms create the northern lights and how these events might affect our power grids and satellites on the ground.

Why It Matters

Understanding this relationship is vital for protecting modern life. When the Sun is active, it sends gusts of particles toward Earth that can interfere with our technology. By tracking how these particles squeeze against our magnetic field, scientists can better predict when a solar storm might hit. This helps us learn how to keep our satellites and electronic infrastructure safer during times of intense solar activity.

Aurora Tonight

Live NOAA outlook

Low aurora activity

Mostly Arctic: Alaska, northern Canada, Greenland, and far-northern Europe

Aurora activity17%

Peak Kp tonight: 1.7NOAA nowcast max: 11%Source: NOAA SWPC

Aurora forecasts are probabilistic. Darkness, clouds, local light pollution, and rapidly changing solar-wind conditions affect what you can actually see.

The Catch

While the spacecraft is healthy, the X-ray camera is currently picking up extra light from the environment that makes it hard to get a perfect picture of Earth's magnetic boundary. The team is working on software updates to fix this, and they expect the problem to fade naturally as the season changes and the North Pole moves away from the Sun's brightest glare.

Put That in Perspective

This is a big step forward because it is the first time since 2008 that we have been able to capture such clear, long-lasting footage of the full aurora ring. Scientists are now waiting for mid-October, when conditions will be perfect to take the first true X-ray map of where the solar wind slams into Earth's magnetic shield.

Source September 30, 2026

Carole Mundell

ESA