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Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) is scheduled to fly aboard a Vega-C from Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) on 2026-04-30. LaunchDetect tracks the rocket's thermal signature in geostationary satellite infrared imagery from the moment the engines ignite, giving you an orbital vantage point on the ascent that ground cameras cannot match.
The pad sits at 5.2369°, -52.7749°. Our detection pipeline ingests GOES-18, GOES-19, and Himawari-9 frames and isolates plumes within seconds of liftoff. You can watch it happen live during the launch window.
Launch windows slip. Weather scrubs missions. LaunchDetect monitors the actual hardware on the pad, not the schedule, so you see the launch the moment it happens, regardless of broadcast availability.
Window: 2026-04-29T23:30:00+00:00 to 2026-04-30T00:30:00+00:00 UTC. Site: Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV). Vehicle: Vega-C.
| Mission | Vega-C | Solar wind Magnetosphere Ionosphere Link Explorer (SMILE) |
| Vehicle | Vega-C |
| Site | Ariane Launch Area 1 (ELV) (kourou) |
| Coordinates | 5.236893, -52.7749 |
| Window | 2026-04-29T23:30:00+00:00 to 2026-04-30T00:30:00+00:00 UTC |
| Status | active |
LaunchDetect monitors GOES-18, GOES-19, and Himawari-9 geostationary weather satellites for the thermal signature of every rocket launch on Earth. The platform turns 22,000-mile-altitude infrared imagery into a live, browser-based view of ascent. See the live tracker or browse all upcoming launches.