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New Smile Mission to Study Earth's Magnetic Field

4/9/2026

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Story summary
  • The Smile mission (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) will orbit about 120,000 km above the North Pole to study Earth's magnetic bubble.
  • Scientists from Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) in Dorking, Surrey, will lead the project.
  • The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) are collaborating on the mission.
  • Funding comes from the UK Space Agency.
  • Dr. Colin Forsyth, the project investigator, emphasizes direct observation.