Anna Hartz
Space exploration often feels like a journey with no clear end. Engineers plan for years, and spacecraft travel millions of kilometers while sending back tiny pieces of data that slowly reveal the secrets of our solar system.
One of the most ambitious missions currently underway is BepiColombo, a European-Japanese probe heading to Mercury.
BepiColombo launched in October 2018. Over the past seven years, it has completed several flybys of Earth, Venus, and six of Mercury itself, writes WP. The mission’s main goal—studying Mercury in detail—remains ahead.
But the engineers did not waste time. They used the probe’s instruments to gather valuable information about solar activity, Mercury’s magnetic field, and the Sun’s gravity, including how it affects radio waves.
The Challenge
Reaching Mercury is surprisingly difficult. The planet is only 100 to 240 million kilometers from Earth. At first glance, it seems much closer than distant planets like Pluto. New Horizons, for example, took ten years to reach Pluto, which is five billion kilometers away.
The challenge with Mercury is speed. As a spacecraft approaches the Sun, it accelerates. BepiColombo uses multiple flybys and gravitational assists to gradually slow down so that Mercury’s gravity can capture it into orbit.
The probe has also recorded data about its own movements. Instruments on the MPO accelerometer detect small gravitational jolts, temperature changes when entering and leaving Mercury’s shadow, and micro-vibrations in its components. This information helps engineers understand flight conditions and how the spacecraft’s systems perform.
What Will Happen
BepiColombo’s M-CAM cameras on the MTM transfer module have provided another perspective. Known as “selfie cameras,” they captured hundreds of images showing the spacecraft, Earth, Venus, and Mercury. These snapshots document the journey even before the mission’s main phase begins.
In November 2026, the mission will reach a historic milestone. The probe will split into two satellites: MPO will enter a low orbit around Mercury, and Mio will remain in a higher elliptical orbit. For the first time, Mercury will be studied by two spacecraft simultaneously.
Full scientific observations will begin in early 2027. The instruments will measure X-ray, visible, and near-infrared light. A laser altimeter will map the surface in detail. Scientists will track surface temperatures and examine permanently shadowed craters at the poles, which may hold water ice. The main mission is expected to last between one and two and a half years, offering unprecedented insight into the Solar System’s smallest planet.
Sources: WP
