SMILE – A New Mission to Image the Magnetosphere

Abstract:

Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is a novel self-standing mission to be jointly developed between European Space Agency (ESA) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). It will observe the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling via simultaneous in situ solar wind/magnetosheath plasma and magnetic field measurements, X-ray images of the magnetosheath and polar cusps, and UV images of global auroral distributions. Remote sensing of the magnetosphere with X-ray imaging is now possible thanks to the relatively recent discovery of solar wind charge exchange (SWCX). The SMILE status, science as well as the results of the on-going study undertaken jointly by ESA and CAS will be presented.