Smile spacecraft sends first images of daylight auroras over the North Pole

The joint ESA and Chinese Academy of Sciences Smile mission has begun science operations and released its first images, showing a giant ultraviolet aurora over the North Pole on Earth's sunlit side. Launched on May 19, the satellite observes the pole from an orbit about 121,000 km high for up to 45 hours at a time.

• Smile launched on May 19 into a highly elliptical orbit about 121,000 km above the North Pole
• The ultraviolet aurora was captured in July 2026, covering about a third of the sunlit side
• The spacecraft can watch the North Pole for up to 45 hours at a time
• It carries four instruments: ultraviolet, X-ray, magnetic field and light ion detectors