Liftoff Videos

Every mission, with the videos that tell it

Smile

ESA's documentary covers two years of the Smile mission, a 50–50 collaboration between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Key moments

  1. Smile mission and its science goals introduced

    Watch this moment · 0:54

  2. Soft X-ray imager unpacked and integrated onto the payload module

    Watch this moment · 3:57

  3. Flight model payload module arrives at ESTEC from Airbus in Madrid

    Watch this moment · 8:08

  4. Magnetometer boom fails to lock, then succeeds the next day

    Watch this moment · 10:36

  5. Payload module and platform integrated for the first time

    Watch this moment · 14:00

  6. Electromagnetic compatibility testing

    Watch this moment · 18:18

  7. Vibration test simulates launch loads

    Watch this moment · 21:03

  8. Thermal balance, thermal vacuum test begins

    Watch this moment · 25:05

  9. Qualification and flight readiness review

    Watch this moment · 32:58

  10. Launch window announced, starting 8 April

    Watch this moment · 34:50

  11. Satellite shipped by boat to French Guiana

    Watch this moment · 37:05

  12. Launch campaign: fueling and encapsulation

    Watch this moment · 39:40
Play video: Smile: How ESA and China Built a Satellite in Two Years, 44:36

Photo: European Space Agency / CC BY-SA 3.0 igo

Key facts
VehicleVega
Mission nameSmile
Launch siteKourou, French Guiana
Crew size0

Videos about this mission

The videos, in date order

Drag, zoom or press play to watch them on this page.

  1. Smile: How ESA and China Built a Satellite in Two Years

    European Space Agency, ESA
Play video: Smile: How ESA and China Built a Satellite in Two Years

Smile: How ESA and China Built a Satellite in Two Years

European Space Agency, ESA

Duration 44:36

Watch video

Dates are when each video was first published on YouTube.

Sources: The facts and written text on this page come from the 1 video on this page, by European Space Agency, ESA.