Today at 00:52 AM local time (03:52 UTC; 05:52 AM CEST), Avio successfully launched the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) scientific satellite for the European Space Agency (ESA) and Chinese Academy of Science (CAS) from Europe's Spaceport in French Guiana with a Vega C launcher (see AVIONEWS). The satellite was delivered to a circular low Earth orbit, at an altitude of approximately 700 km, for a mission to a high inclination and high elliptical orbit with a perigee of 5,000 km and an apogee of 121,000 km. The flight lasted 57 minutes from lift-off to separation of the satellite.

SMILE will measure the solar wind and its dynamic interactions with the Earth’s magnetosphere, enhancing our understanding of the connection between the Sun and the Earth.

The mission, called VV29, has been the first Vega C launch operated by Avio as Launch Service Operator.

Giulio Ranzo, CEO of Avio said “Today’s success is a major milestone for Avio as we take full responsibility of Launch Service Operator for Vega C launches. The launcher has once again demonstrated its performance and flexibility. I want to thank all our team for the outstanding job done and all our partners. We are proud to have contributed to this important scientific mission. We thank ESA and CAS for their confidence and we are ready to continue supporting ESA scientific missions".

Below, the video about the launch: