A ship sails smoothly into harbour. Inside, an eager Inspector.

Chapter 3 of the ‘Inspector Smile’ comic strip shows the European-Chinese Smile mission arriving at Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, after two weeks at sea.

Once there, the teams start preparing her for her journey to space. After a health check that goes well, she is fuelled up. Smile carries four fuel tanks. 90% of this fuel will be used in her first month in space to gradually elongate her orbit until she reaches 121 000 km above the North Pole to collect data. From there, she will come down to 5000 km over the South Pole to deliver it.

She is then fixed to a Vega-C rocket adaptor called ‘Vampire’ (for Vega Adapter for Multiple Payload Injection and RElease). Teams take one last look at her before he is enclosed inside a Vega-C rocket fairing. She is now ready to meet the full Vega-C and countdown can begin.

Inspector Smile, chapter 1: the dark side of the Sun

Inspector Smile, chapter 2: she's ready

Smile (the Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer) is a joint mission between the European Space Agency and the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

[Image description: A comic strip with eight panels that continues the story of Inspector Smile. Chapter 3 shows an excited Inspector arriving in French Guiana, at Europe’s Spaceport. Launch preparations start: unboxing, a health status check, fuelling up, attaching the Vampire rocket adapter and closing the fairing. Smile then meets Vega-C and countdown begins.]