ESA/ATG medialab
BepiColombo sheds its ride and starts the final glide to Mercury
In a bold push toward Mercury, ESA and JAXA’s BepiColombo is edging into orbit after eight years of travel. The mission hit a milestone when the Mercury Transfer Module separated from the stack on September 3, triggering the start of the arrival sequence. Now charging in solar panels, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter prepares to drop into Mercury’s orbit on November 21. The Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, aka Mio, will follow between December 9 and 10, with MPO set to settle into its final orbit by early 2027 to begin science, roughly a year later than planned due to Solar Electric Power issues. BepiColombo has already performed six Mercury flybys since 2021 and visits Venus and Earth, underscoring an international collaboration: ESA’s MPO and MTM, JAXA’s MMO, and an ESA-provided sunshield. The mission aims to reveal Mercury’s magnetosphere, iron core, and magnetic field origins.