BepiColombo Begins Complex Arrival Sequence at Mercury
The BepiColombo mission, a joint effort between the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and the European Space Agency (ESA), has entered its arrival phase at Mercury. On September 3, the module that facilitated the eight-year journey detached from ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio). The spacecraft is scheduled to commence its orbit around Mercury on November 21, with separation occurring three weeks later, and data collection set to begin in April 2027. Launched in October 2018, this mission has faced difficulties due to Mercury's closeness to the sun. MPO will conduct surface mapping, while Mio will investigate the planet's environment. BepiColombo marks the third mission to explore Mercury, following NASA's Mariner 10 and MESSENGER.
Key facts
- BepiColombo is a joint mission by ESA and JAXA.
- The arrival phase began on September 3, with the propulsion module separating from two orbiters.
- The spacecraft will start looping around Mercury on November 21 and separate about three weeks later.
- Scientific data collection is scheduled to begin in April 2027.
- The mission launched in October 2018 and took eight years to reach Mercury.
- Mercury is the least explored planet of the inner solar system.
- MPO will map the planet, while Mio will study its surroundings.
- BepiColombo is the third mission to visit Mercury, after Mariner 10 and MESSENGER.
- The mission is named after Italian mathematician Giuseppe Colombo.
- The spacecraft face extreme heat and radiation due to Mercury's proximity to the sun.
Entities
Institutions
- European Space Agency (ESA)
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA)
- NASA
- Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
- Arizona State University
- Carnegie Institution of Washington
- European Space Agency
- Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency
Locations
- Mercury
- Venus
- Earth
- Mars
- Sun
- Germany