European probe Bepicolombo: Historical flight past Mercury!

The European Sonde "Bepicolombo" successfully completed an important flight past Mercury on January 8, 2025. The flight took place at a height of 295 kilometers above the cold night side and the north pole of the planet and is the sixth of this kind. The aim of the maneuver was to use the attraction of the sun to slow down the probe and prepare for the main mission, which should begin at the end of next year. Images of the Mercury surface were taken through the cameras of the probe, the dark craters show that are among the coldest places in the solar system.

The flight passed at 6:59 AM (05:59 UTC), whereby the probe was expected to flog the night side of the planet as expected. About seven minutes after the flight, at 07:06 CET, the cameras were aimed at the sunlit side, which could collect valuable data. The first pictures will be published on January 9, 2025. During the flight past, Bepicolombo will spend over 23 minutes in Merkur's shadow, with the team in Darmstadt warm the probe before entering the shadow to protect the battery.

a European-Japanese joint project

Bepicolombo was launched in October 2018 and is a joint project of the European Space Organization ESA and the Japanese space agency Jaxa. The mission includes two orbitals: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) from the ESA and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio) from Jaxa. After arriving in Merkur orbit at the end of 2026, the two orbiters will enter special polar orbit, whereby the scientific operations should begin in early 2027. The project aims to answer basic research questions, such as the geological formation of the planet, the presence of water and the composition of the surface, and should contribute to better understanding of the origins of the solar system.

The probe has been on its eight -year trip for more than six years and has already completed nine planetary frights, including one around the earth, two around Venus and now six around Mercury. In addition to the recordings of the surface, various scientific instruments are used to measure the surroundings of the planet as well as particles and the magnetic field. The previous data from the past flights indicate that some craters may contain water ice.