SMILES (Superconducting Submillimeter-Wave Limb-Emission Sounder) is attached to the Exposed Facility of Japan Experimental Module (JEM) of the International Space Station (ISS). The objective of SMILES mission is to demonstrate a sensitive submillimeter-wave sounder and to monitor global distributions of the stratospheric trace gases.
SMILES, which is developed in a joint project between JAXA and NICT (National Institute of Information and Communications Technology), is the first to use a superconductive low-noise receiver with a mechanical 4-K refrigerator in space.
Atmospheric Observation with SMILES has been done from October 12th, 2009 to April 21st, 2010.