00:01SMILE is a space mission designed to watch how Earth's magnetic field reacts to the solar wind.
00:07But first, it had to be prepared for its journey into space on a Vega-C rocket.
00:13Let's take a look back at the last few weeks before liftoff.
00:21From ESA's Technical Center in the Netherlands, the spacecraft crossed the ocean to French Guyana.
00:28There, SMILE was received at Europe's spaceport, where final preparations began.
00:40After SMILE was unboxed and tested, it was fuelled.
00:45SMILE carries four fuel tanks beneath its solar panels, holding hydrazine fuel and oxidiser.
00:52The spacecraft weighs 2,300 kilograms, and 1,580 of that is fuel.
00:59But in its first month in space, SMILE will use around 90% of this fuel.
01:07After launch and separation from the Vega-C rocket, SMILE will fire its engines 11 times in 25 days,
01:14gradually stretching its path into a highly elliptical orbit that reaches 121,000 kilometers above the North Pole.
01:25Fueling SMILE has been one of the most delicate parts of launch preparations.
01:30Hydrazine is highly explosive and toxic, handled only by a small team of specialists in fully sealed scape suits.
01:39Next, SMILE was connected to its Vega-C launch adapter.
01:43Known as Vampire, this adapter locks the spacecraft securely to the rocket during launch.
01:57Then, like a caterpillar in a cocoon, SMILE was enclosed inside Vega-C's protective fairing.
02:04Made of carbon fibre, this nosecone shields the spacecraft from heat, noise and intense aerodynamic forces during launch and ascent.
02:16This moment, known as encapsulation, marked the last time humans would see SMILE on Earth.
02:24Once the Vega-C rocket is beyond Earth's atmosphere, the fairing was split in two, introducing SMILE to space.
02:34Vega-C can launch over 3,000 kilograms into space, making a wide range of missions possible,
02:41from small Cube-Sats to larger spacecraft like SMILE.
02:46But before liftoff, it's assembled, stage by stage.
02:50Its first stage, made from carbon fibre, packs extraordinary power.
02:56In just two minutes, it delivers 4,500 kilonewtons of thrust, the equivalent of 15 modern airliner engines.
03:08Its second stage, delivers around 1,300 kilonewtons of thrust, enough force to lift an empty Airbus 300.
03:18Vega-C's third stage, burns 10 tonnes of solid propellant and will carry SMILE one step closer to orbit.
03:28Last but not least, the fourth stage, which provides precise orbital control using a restartable engine and 740 kilograms of
03:38propellant.
03:41The fourth stage will perform multiple burns to deliver SMILE to its drop-off orbit, before a final manoeuvre de
03:49-orbits the stage to reduce space debris.
03:52Finally, encased in its fairing, SMILE was lifted onto the Vega-C.
03:58From its journey across Earth, to its final preparations at Europe's spaceport, SMILE has come a long way.
04:06Carefully assembled, fuelled and sealed, every step has led here.
04:10Now everything is ready.
04:13SMILE is set to leave Earth, beginning its mission to study how our planet responds to the Sun,
04:19and in doing so, advancing the science of space weather.
Comments