Paris, May 19 (QNA) - The China-Europe jointly developed Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) was launched into orbit on Tuesday, expected to usher in a new era in space weather forecasting and mark a deeper, more exemplary phase in China-Europe space science cooperation.

The satellite was launched by a Vega-C rocket at the Kourou launch center in French Guiana.

The SMILE mission is the first mission-level, all-round, in-depth collaborative space science exploration project between the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the European Space Agency (ESA), aiming to reveal the mysteries of the interaction between the solar wind and Earth's magnetosphere.

According to the plan, after approximately 42 days of orbital maneuvering following its entry into orbit, the satellite will reach its observation orbit. It will then undergo two months of in-orbit testing before entering a three-year routine scientific observation phase. (QNA)