Friday

The solar wind coupling with the terrestrial magnetosphere is a key link in Sun – Earth connections. Mass and energy enter geospace via dayside magnetic reconnection; reconnection in the tail leads to release of energy and particle injection deep into the magnetosphere, causing geomagnetic storms and substorms. One end product is the visual manifestation of variable auroral emissions. In situ missions can provide detailed observations of the plasma conditions in both the solar wind and the magnetosphere. However, we are still unable to quantify the global effects of the drivers of Sun – Earth connections, and to monitor their evolution. This information is the key missing link for developing a comprehensive understanding of how the Sun gives rise to and controls the Earth's plasma environment and space weather.

SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) offers a novel approach to global monitoring of geospace via X-ray imaging of the magnetosheath and cusps, made possible by the X-rays emitted when high charge state solar wind ions exchange charges with exospheric neutrals. SMILE is a self-standing mission dedicated to observing the solar wind – magnetosphere coupling at Earth via simultaneous X-ray imaging of the magnetosheath and polar cusps (large spatial scales in the magnetosphere), UV imaging of global auroral distributions (mesoscale structures in the ionosphere) and in situ solar wind/magnetosheath plasma and magnetic field measurements. SMILE will provide scientific data on the solar wind – magnetosphere interaction continuously for long, uninterrupted periods of time from a highly elliptical northern polar orbit.
SMILE is a collaborative mission between ESA and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, currently under development and due for launch at the end of 2024. The novel science that SMILE will deliver, the ongoing technical developments and scientific preparations, and the current status of the mission, will be presented.