SMILE begins science: ESA–CAS publish first magnetosphere images
From the Space digest for 2026-10-04
What happened: after a May launch and a multi-month commissioning period, ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) has officially begun science operations, releasing first UV and soft-X-ray observations of Earth (NASASpaceflight, Oct 4, ~6:50 PM ET).
What's genuinely new: an ESA–China mission passing commissioning cleanly and publishing early — noteworthy as functioning international science cooperation in a beat otherwise dominated by launch-market friction; no recurring thread (single item).
Links: NASASpaceflight