# @cgtneurope on Instagram

- **Type:** Video
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DYhcTZvCIE3
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/65615572-cgtneurope-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/331c0bdba9.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-05-19T13:51:10.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** CGTN Europe (@cgtneurope) — https://gondola.cc/cgtneurope

## Caption

The Smile spacecraft, a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), successfully launched on Tuesday at 04:52 BST from French Guiana (00:52 local time). ⁣
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On board the Vega-C launch vehicle that was jointly developed by the two space bodies is the Solar Wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer satellite, or SMILE. The satellite will use innovative X-ray imaging technology to achieve panoramic observations of the Earth’s magnetic field, as well as an ultraviolet camera to watch the northern lights non-stop for 45 hours at a time.⁣
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The launch is China's first in-depth mission-level cooperation with ESA, and marks the beginning of an ambitious mission to better understand solar storms, geomagnetic storms, and the science of space weather. The satellite will orbit the Earth for the next three years.⁣
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#SMILE #ESA #CAS #China #Space #SpaceExploration⁣
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## Stats

- **Views:** 1,760
- **Likes:** 102
- **Shares:** 0
- **Comments:** 4

## Tags

china, space, cas, spaceexploration, smile, esa

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