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Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)

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.

T-minus
00Days
:
00Hrs
:
00Min
:
00Sec
Tuesday, May 19, 2026
03:52:00 AM UTC12:52 AM GMT-3 local
Accurate to the minute
Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE)
Mission
T-Minus
—±minute
Probability
—weather window
Orbit
EllipticalElliptical Orbit
Mission Type
Astrophysics
Global # This Year
#114orbital attempts
Agency # This Year
#1Avio
Vehicle
Launch Vehicle
Vega-CVega
Provider
Avio S.p.ACommercial
Success Rate
—
Total Launches
—all-time
Launch Site
Pad
Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)Guiana Space Centre
Pad Launches
54from this pad
Site Launches
332from Guiana Space Centre
Latitude
5.2360°
Longitude
-52.7750°
Guiana Space Centre Weather
Status
CAUTIONlaunch site · live
Temperature
24.3°C76°F · feels 28.5°C
Wind
12.2 km/h E8 mph · 89°
Cloud Cover
100%overcast
Visibility
3.4 kmreduced
Humidity
97%high
Precipitation
0.5 mm71% chance
Pressure
1013 hPasurface
Daylight
Conditions
NighttimeGuiana Space Centre
Sunrise
06:15 AM GMT-3local
Sunset
06:39 PM GMT-3local
Daylight
12h 24mtotal today
Orbital launches this year#114globally
Agency launches this year#1Avio
Launches from this pad54Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
Launches from this site332Guiana Space Centre

Mission Data

Launch VehicleVega-C
Vehicle FamilyVega
Launch ProviderAvio S.p.A
Provider TypeCommercial
Mission TypeAstrophysics
Target OrbitElliptical Orbit
Launch PadAriane Launch Area 1 (ELV)
LocationGuiana Space Centre, French Guiana GUF
MapView on Google Maps ↗
Status Note

Current T-0 confirmed by official or reliable sources.

Launch Site Weather

🌡Temperature
24.3°C76°F · feels 28.5°C
💨Wind
12.2 km/h E8 mph · 89°
🌧Precipitation
0.5 mm71% chance
💧Humidity
97%
👁Visibility
3.4 km
⬇Pressure
1013 hPa
☁Cloud Cover
100%
Daylight · Nighttime
Sunrise06:15 AM GMT-3
Sunset06:39 PM GMT-3
12h 24m of daylight
Location

Guiana Space Centre, French Guiana

Launch Site

Est. trajectory · Elliptical
5.2360°N · -52.7750°E

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