China and Europe are about to launch into space one of his most ambitious projects on an individual level and, without a doubt, the greatest as a team. It is not the first time that both agencies collaborate, but this time they do so to reveal some of the best kept mysteries of the Sun and Earth. The SMILE mission launches on May 19 and almost everything is ready.
An ideal equipment to study the Sun. The goal of the SMILE mission (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is to study how the solar wind interacts with the Earth’s magnetosphere, providing for the first time global images of this shock, both in soft X-rays and in ultraviolet light. This could help predict solar storms more accurately, allowing us to prepare in case they are so intense that they could affect our telecommunications systems.
It won’t fly to the Sun. It is important to note that, although SMILE is going to study the interaction of the Earth’s protective layer with solar storms, its mission is not to fly to the Sun. In fact, it will remain in Earth orbit and move around it to take the relevant data on that interaction.
Previous missions. It is not the first time that the European Space Agency (ESA) and various Chinese scientific entities have collaborated in space. For example, together they launched the dragon programwith which they cooperated in the development of Earth observation applications. They have also worked as a team on the mission Double Starwith which satellites have been sent into space to study the earth magnetosphere. Even the ESA has supported to China in some phases of Chang’e, the ambitious mission to study the Moon directed by the Asian country.
Current situation. Initially, the mission was going to launch during the month of April. However, ESA detected a technical problem on the production line of a component of the Vega-C subsystem. This is the rocket that will propel the mission into space, so it is essential that it works perfectly. It was decided to postpone the launch and now, with everything reviewed and resolved, SMILE is ready to unravel the mysteries of the Sun.
What will happen. The launch is scheduled for 5:52 CEST, same time in mainland Spain. It will take place at the European Space Port in French Guiana, where the rocket is already located and the previous maneuvers have been carried out. After launch, the four stages of the rocket will separate one by one, finally releasing SMILE 57 minutes later. Shortly after, at 63 minutes, the solar panels must be deployed. If everything happens correctly, the launch can be considered successful.
And then what? Once in Earth orbit, the ship will take control to take it to its final, egg-shaped orbit. It will travel 121,000 km over the North Pole to collect data and then travel 5,000 km over the South Pole to deliver it to the ground stations that are waiting for it. Anyway, we must go step by step. First the launch must occur, a very special moment that you can follow live on this link.
Image | THAT
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