On Jan. 18-20, 2016, SMILE (Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) Executive and Technical Meeting was held in National Space Science Center (NSSC), Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing. 7 in total of ESA (European Space Agency) delegation attended the meeting.

Ji WU, Director General of NSSC, extended warm welcome to ESA delegation and emphasized that SMILE, to be jointly defined and implemented with joint data analysis by China and ESA, would provide for the first time global imaging of the interaction between the solar wind and the magnetosphere of the Earth. Prof. WU added that at present CAS Board and ESA SPC have both decided to take a “go-head” of the mission. Fabio Favata, head of the Science Coordination Office, Science and Robotic Exploration Directorate, ESA，commented that SMILE mission would be a milestone in space earth exploration, which is of great significance to both China and ESA. Afterwards SMILE mission team members from both sides discussed about project status, instrument status, implementation approaches, joint project management and development, nominal schedule, science operation, etc, which lays a solid foundation for the mission’s next study phase.

SMILE mission is opening the way for cooperation between the two scientific communities from the ground up, in the hope of setting into motion a strong, self-sustaining process.