IT之家 9 月 30 日消息，据中国科学院国家空间科学中心，中欧联合研制的太阳风-磁层相互作用全景成像卫星（“微笑”卫星，SMILE）顺利借助在轨测试总结评审，转入科学运行阶段。
“微笑”卫星于 2026 年 5 月 19 日在法属圭亚那库鲁航天中心成功发射。经过约一个月变轨操作，卫星于 6 月 20 日到达近地点 5120 公里，远地点 12.09 万公里科学观测轨道。抵达预定轨道后，载荷舱和科学载荷陆续开机，设备工作正常，科学载荷完成在轨调试和在轨定标，取得有效科学数据，符合预期。
在轨测试结果表明，整星所有任务单元运行正常，各项能力表现均已完成验证，中国科学院团队已独立完成卫星载荷舱的全部操作，为首次达成对太阳风与地球磁层相互作用的总体成像观测，动态揭示太阳风-磁层耦合过程奠定坚实基础，四台科学载荷总体工作状态良好。中欧双方对此次合作给予高度评价，对卫星在轨测试结果和合作成果表示高度肯定。
IT之家获悉，卫星首批在轨观测图像及探测数据涵盖紫外极光成像仪（UVI）国际首次获取不间断北半球极光全景及精细结构影像、软 X 射线成像仪（SXI）拍摄的大麦哲伦星云超新星遗迹图像，以及磁强计（MAG）和低能离子分析仪（LIA）国际首次取得地球极高轨高分辨率在轨探测数据。
紫外极光成像仪（UVI）：国际首次获取不间断北半球极光全景及精细结构影像
UVI 用于监测极光的时空变化，识别并追踪极光结构，刻画太阳风-磁层耦合平台中的能量沉积，于 2026 年 7 月 16 日开机。图 1 为北半球极光图像。极光图像是理解磁层空间物质和能量输运的可视化窗口。借助极光图像中不同类型结构的动态变化，可以理解磁层空间等离子体的动力学行为。
UVI 是当下国际上星载极光全景监测连续时间最长、时间分辨率最高的成像仪，最长连续观测时间达 44 小时，最高时间分辨率达 5 秒。UVI 将在“微笑”卫星独特的大椭圆轨道上开展长期的高时空分辨率极光全景监测，可视化太阳风-磁层耦合的全过程。
软 X 射线成像仪（SXI）：国际首台对地星载软 X 射线成像仪取得首张图像
SXI 于 2026 年 6 月 27 日开机，设备工作正常，已完成载荷定标工作。借助 SXI，“微笑”卫星成为首个对地球磁场开展详细且长时间 X 射线观测的航天器。
图 2 表明了一颗大约 16 万光年前大麦哲伦星云中巨型恒星爆炸的遗迹，这些百万度高温的“超新星残骸”发出明亮 X 射线光芒，使大麦哲伦星云和 N132D 成为“微笑”卫星的绝佳观测对象。进入科学运行阶段后，“微笑”卫星将实际观测当地球磁层边缘被太阳带电粒子击中时释放的软 X 射线。
官方表示，“微笑”卫星的成功运行，标志着中欧空间科学合作迈入新阶段，将为人类认识太阳风-磁层相互作用、提高空间天气预报能力作出关键贡献。
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IT Home, September 30: According to the National Space Science Center of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Solar Wind-Magnetosphere Interaction全景 Imaging Satellite (SMILE), jointly developed by China and Europe, has successfully passed the on-orbit test summary review and transitioned into the scientific operation phase.
The SMILE satellite was successfully launched from the Kourou Space Center in French Guiana on May 19, 2026. After approximately one month of orbit adjustment operations, the satellite reached its scientific observation orbit on June 20, with a perigee of 5,120 km and an apogee of 120,900 km. Upon reaching the designated orbit, the payload bay and scientific payloads were switched on sequentially. The equipment is functioning normally, the scientific payloads have completed on-orbit debugging and calibration, effective scientific data has been acquired, and the results meet expectations.
On-orbit test results indicate that all mission units of the entire satellite are operating normally, and all capabilities have been verified. The Chinese Academy of Sciences team has independently completed all operations for the satellite's payload bay, laying a solid foundation for achieving the first global imaging observation of solar wind-terrestrial magnetosphere interaction and dynamically revealing the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling process. The overall operating status of the four scientific payloads is good. Both China and Europe have highly praised this cooperation and highly affirmed the on-orbit test results and cooperative outcomes.
IT Home learned that the satellite's first batch of on-orbit observation images and detection data includes: the Ultraviolet Aurora Imager (UVI) capturing the world's first uninterrupted panoramic and detailed structural images of the Northern Hemisphere aurora; the Soft X-ray Imager (SXI) capturing an image of the supernova remnant in the Large Magellanic Cloud; and the Magnetometer (MAG) and Low Energy Ion Analyzer (LIA) obtaining the world's first high-resolution on-orbit detection data from the Earth's extremely high orbit.
Ultraviolet Aurora Imager (UVI): World's first acquisition of uninterrupted panoramic and detailed structural images of the Northern Hemisphere aurora
The UVI is used to monitor the spatiotemporal changes of auroras, identify and track auroral structures, and depict energy deposition within the solar wind-magnetosphere coupling platform. It was switched on on July 16, 2026. Figure 1 shows a Northern Hemisphere aurora image. Aurora images serve as a visual window for understanding mass and energy transport in magnetospheric space. By observing the dynamic changes of different types of structures in aurora images, one can understand the dynamic behavior of plasma in magnetospheric space.
The UVI is currently the international onboard aurora panoramic monitoring instrument with the longest continuous time and highest time resolution, with a maximum continuous observation time of 44 hours and a maximum time resolution of 5 seconds. The UVI will conduct long-term, high-spatio-temporal resolution aurora panoramic monitoring on the SMILE satellite's unique highly elliptical orbit, visualizing the entire process of solar wind-magnetosphere coupling.
Soft X-ray Imager (SXI): World's first Earth-directed onboard Soft X-ray Imager captures its first image
The SXI was switched on on June 27, 2026; the equipment is functioning normally, and the payload calibration work has been completed. With the SXI, the SMILE satellite has become the first spacecraft to conduct detailed and long-duration X-ray observations of the Earth's magnetic field.
Figure 2 shows the remnant of a massive star explosion in the Large Magellanic Cloud approximately 160,000 light-years ago. These "supernova remnants" with million-degree high temperatures emit bright X-ray light, making the Large Magellanic Cloud and N132D excellent observation targets for the SMILE satellite. After entering the scientific operation phase, the SMILE satellite will actually observe the soft X-rays released when the edge of the Earth's magnetosphere is struck by solar charged particles.
Officials stated that the successful operation of the SMILE satellite marks a new phase in Sino-European space science cooperation, which will make key contributions to human understanding of solar wind-magnetosphere interaction and improving space weather forecasting capabilities.