BepiColombo spacecraft separate on final approach to Mercury
Quick Look
- The European and Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft separated from their cruiser on Thursday, beginning the final leg of their journey to Mercury.
- Controllers waited two hours for confirmation via radio signals from ESA's control centre in Germany.
- If successful, the spacecraft will enter Mercury's orbit in November and split in December to study the planet.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The BepiColombo mission is a joint effort between the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency to study Mercury, the solar system's smallest and closest planet to the Sun.
Two Mercury-bound spacecraft left their mother ship behind on Thursday and headed down the home stretch of their nearly decade-long voyage to the solar system’s smallest and closest-to-the-sun planet.
The linked European and Japanese spacecraft separated as planned from their cruiser, but controllers had to wait two anxious hours to receive confirmation via radio signals.
The crucial operation was broadcast from the European Space Agency’s control centre in Germany, more than 200 million km (124 million miles) away.
“It’s a brilliant moment,” said lead project scientist Geraint Jones.
If all goes well, the conjoined spacecraft known as BepiColombo will enter orbit around Mercury in November and split from each other in December to map and study the entire planet from different altitudes.
As of Thursday, the spacecraft still had 3.3 million km (2 million miles) to go before reaching its destination.
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
BepiColombo will enter orbit around Mercury in November
Likely · Within months
The spacecraft will split from each other in December to map and study Mercury
Likely · Within months
Open Questions
- What specific data will the spacecraft collect during their orbital study of Mercury?
- How will the separation of the two spacecraft in December affect the mission's scientific objectives?
