Launch success with spacecraft acquisition & solar panels deployment.
Update ↗
Avio S.p.ALaunch Successful
Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Vega-C
Historical mission record
This page records Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) and its reported outcome: Launch Successful. The date above is a historical record.
Source record updated . This is a source update, not a confirmed launch time.
Check the source: Launch Kit VV29 ↗ · Smile Launch Kit ↗ · Launch Library ↗
Mission status
Launch Successful
Status reported by the mission data provider.
LAUNCH SITEGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana
Mission
Joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to investigate the interaction between Earth’s protective shield – the magnetosphere – and the supersonic solar wind.
- Launch vehicle
- Vega-C
- Mission type
- Astrophysics
- Destination orbit
- Elliptical Orbit
- Launch pad
- Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
- Provider
- Avio S.p.A
The vehicle
Published configuration and flight history.
Launch vehicle
Vega-C
Vega-C is a single-body rocket nearly 35 m high with that weighs 210 tonnes on the launch pad. As with Vega, its main elements are three solid-propellant stages, an upper stage powered by a reignitable liquid-propellant engine and a payload fairing. Vega-C's P120C first stage replaces Vega’s smaller P80 to provide a significant increase in thrust at liftoff. It is also used as boosters (2 or 4) for the Ariane 6 rocket.
- Height
- 34.8 m
- Diameter
- 3 m
- Stages
- 4
- Recorded launches
- 7
- First flight
- 2022-07-13
Recorded timing
This is a mission record, not an upcoming calendar appointment.
Instantaneous windowPublished target
SCHEDULED MOMENT
A single scheduled moment. The schedule may change before launch.
Flight timeline
Planned sequence, not live telemetry. Times are relative to the launch target.
- T+00:00:00
Liftoff
- T+00:02:25
Stage 2 Separation
- T+00:02:26
SES
- T+00:04:30
Stage 3 Separation
- T+00:04:37
Stage 3 Ignition
- T+00:04:42
Fairing Separation
Show the full sequence (14 events)
- T+00:07:14
Kick Stage Separation
- T+00:20:23
Kick Stage Ignition
- T+00:24:32
Kick Stage Cut-off
- T+00:52:57
Kick Stage Burn
- T+00:54:52
Kick Stage Cut-off
- T+00:56:24
Payload Separation
- T+02:00:37
Kick Stage Ignition
- T+02:01:44
Kick Stage Cut-off
Launch site & orbit
Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana
The mission in perspective
Launch site
DestinationElliptical Orbit
Explore the launch pad on Earth using its published coordinates.
Explore Earth’s orbits
Drag to rotate
Coverage & sources
Links supplied by the mission data provider.
Coverage and times may change.
Explore on iPhone
Browse mission details and discover upcoming launches in Spacian.
Open mission in Spacian ↗