BepiColombo represents Europe’s ambitious foray into planetary exploration, targeting one of the Solar System’s most enigmatic worlds, Mercury. This joint venture between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) is the culmination of international cooperation and technological prowess. The mission aims to further our understanding of the innermost planet, delving into its composition, geology, and magnetic environment.
The venture stands as the first European mission to Mercury and incorporates a pair of orbiters: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio). Designed with a suite of sophisticated instruments, BepiColombo is tasked with gathering a wealth of scientific data. It will help answer key questions about the planet’s origin and evolution, such as its high density, magnetic field, and surface features.
The spacecraft’s journey to Mercury is a marvel of engineering, involving complex gravity-assist maneuvers around Earth, Venus, and Mercury itself. Upon arrival, the dual orbiters will separate to conduct complementary measurements, providing unprecedented insight into Mercury’s properties and contributing to our knowledge of the entire Solar System.
BepiColombo is a joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aimed at expanding our understanding of Mercury, the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System. Its name honors the Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo, who contributed significantly to Mercury research.
Launched on October 20, 2018, the mission embarks on a complex journey to enter Mercury’s orbit. This ambitious endeavor is the first European mission to Mercury and stands out due to the planet’s proximity to the Sun, which presents unique challenges.
The mission comprises two spacecraft—the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), also known as Mio. Both orbiters share a ride to Mercury aboard the Mercury Transport Module (MTM) and have distinctive roles:
Once in orbit, MPO will map Mercury in high resolution, while MMO will take a closer look at the dynamic region enveloping the planet. This dual approach allows scientists to glean insights from multiple vantage points, offering a comprehensive understanding of Mercury’s characteristics and environment.
The goal is for BepiColombo to arrive at Mercury by 2025, making significant contributions to planetary science and enhancing our knowledge of the innermost planet in our solar system. This Europe’s mission to Mercury is poised to deliver a trove of new data, answering questions that have puzzled scientists for decades and likely raising new ones.
The mission of BepiColombo is to carry out a comprehensive exploration of Mercury, focusing on its surface, magnetic field, and internal composition. Armed with two orbiters, this joint venture by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) aims to answer questions regarding the planet’s origin and evolution.
BepiColombo’s instruments are designed to closely examine Mercury’s surface. Using high-resolution imaging, the mission will map the planet’s rugged terrain, cliffs, and craters to understand its geological history. It will also measure the surface temperature and study the surface’s composition, including areas where ice might be present within shadowed craters near Mercury’s poles.
One of the primary scientific objectives is to analyze Mercury’s magnetic field. BepiColombo will perform a detailed investigation of the planet’s magnetosphere, the region around Mercury that is influenced by its magnetic field. Understanding Mercury’s magnetic field not only provides clues about the interior dynamics of the planet but also enhances our knowledge of how magnetic fields of terrestrial planets evolve over time.
The mission will probe Mercury’s core, utilizing precision radio science experiments to infer the size and state of the core. Scientists are curious about its composition and whether it is solid or liquid. The gravity field measurements will help them to deduce information about the density and structure of the planet’s interior layers, offering insights into planetary differentiation and the generation of magnetic fields.
The BepiColombo mission showcases intricate engineering with a suite of instruments and technologies tailored for the exploration of Mercury. This section details the spacecraft’s structural components and the sophisticated mechanisms it harbors.
The BepiColombo mission consists of two orbiters: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO), also known as Mio. The MPO, built by the ESA, focuses on surface and compositional analysis, while the JAXA-built MMO studies Mercury’s magnetosphere. The Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) facilitates propulsion, carrying solar panels and chemical thrusters to navigate the path to Mercury.
Equipped with monitoring cameras, BepiColombo can continuously document its journey. These include low-resolution cameras designed primarily to observe the deployment of solar panels and the separation of modules. Sensors aboard the spacecraft monitor its status and the space environment, including temperature fluctuations and particle detections, to ensure mission success.
BepiColombo’s scientific payload incorporates a multitude of instruments—11 on the MPO and 5 on the MMO—each chosen for its ability to withstand Mercury’s harsh environment. The instruments, including high-resolution science cameras and spectrometers, will probe Mercury’s surface and exosphere, examine its composition, and investigate the planet’s interaction with solar winds and magnetic fields. These scientific instruments assist researchers in unraveling the mysteries of the least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System.
BepiColombo, the joint mission by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), is charting a complex route to Mercury. This mission stands out by employing a series of ingenious gravitational assists and the sheer technical prowess of its spacecraft design.
The trajectory taken by BepiColombo is a marvel of astrodynamics, leveraging the gravitational pull of other planets to steer its way to Mercury. It entails one Earth flyby, two Venus flybys, and six flybys of Mercury itself. These carefully calculated planetary flybys serve a dual purpose: they adjust the spacecraft’s trajectory and progressively slow it down to match Mercury’s orbital speed.
Gravitational assists are pivotal to the mission’s success. These maneuvers involve the spacecraft approaching a planet, which provides a gravitational tug, altering its speed and direction. The closest approach to these celestial bodies is critical, designed to maximize the efficiency of the transfer module’s fuel. Through these assists, BepiColombo will gradually enter into orbit around Mercury.
BepiColombo’s journey to Mercury involves complex data collection efforts. The mission carries instruments capable of detailed measurements across various disciplines.
Imaging Systems
Key findings are often relayed through images. The spacecraft equips monitoring cameras that have provided BepiColombo’s first views of Mercury, capturing critical features like volcanic lava floods and the surface material composition.
Science Data
The wealth of science data collected includes:
Core and Surface Analysis
In determining internal structure, the mission aims to gain more insight into the planet’s large iron core, which significantly contributes to its magnetic field. Resonance techniques, analyzing the planet’s spin and orbital dynamics, help understand the gravitational interactions and internal structure.
Volatiles and Water Ice
Researchers use neutron spectrometry and other tools to seek evidence of water and other volatiles, which are hypothesized to exist in the permanently dark areas of Mercury’s polar regions.
This mission’s comprehensive outline of societal data contributes to the understanding of Mercury as well as the formation and evolution of the inner Solar System planets.
The BepiColombo mission encapsulates a spectrum of unique challenges and precise innovations, essential for its journey to and study of Mercury. From withstanding extreme temperatures to maneuvering complex orbital dynamics, each hurdle is met with cutting-edge solutions tailored for space exploration.
Mercury experiences dramatic temperature fluctuations, with daytime temperatures soaring up to 430°C (806°F), akin to a pizza oven, and plummeting to -180°C (-292°F) at night. To combat this, the spacecraft employs a multi-layered insulation blanket, which protects its instruments from the intense heat and frigid cold encountered during its mission.
BepiColombo must endure intense solar radiation, approximately ten times stronger than Earth’s, which could impair its instruments and solar panels. The spacecraft is equipped with a highly reflective coating and a special heat radiator to dissipate the solar heat, ensuring that its systems remain operational in the extreme solar environment.
Achieving a stable orbit around Mercury requires precise navigation through the solar system’s gravity wells and managing the influence of the solar wind. BepiColombo utilizes a combination of gravity assists and ion propulsion, a sophisticated technology allowing the spacecraft to fine-tune its trajectory with exceptional accuracy.
The success of the BepiColombo mission informs and enriches future planetary science projects. Understanding Mercury—the solar system’s innermost planet—is expected to have profound implications for space exploration. Outfitted with sophisticated instruments, BepiColombo is equipped to perform a comprehensive analysis of Mercury’s surface and magnetic field, building on the foundational data obtained by NASA’s MESSENGER mission.
The data returned from BepiColombo will aid in the creation of advanced analytical models to predict planetary conditions, influencing the planning of missions to other planets. By extending our knowledge, BepiColombo contributes significantly to the shared human endeavor of exploring our solar system and beyond.
BepiColombo‘s journey to Mercury has garnered significant interest, engaging a diverse audience from science and technology journalists to fiction writers. The European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) have put considerable effort into public engagement, leveraging various platforms to maximize outreach.
Through these initiatives, BepiColombo has elevated the public understanding of space missions, transforming abstract concepts into tangible experiences. Even individuals with non-scientific backgrounds, such as an amateur gymnast, have found ways to connect with this monumental journey to one of our Solar System’s least explored planets.
BepiColombo is an ambitious mission that seeks to increase our knowledge of Mercury and the formation of our solar system. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about this pioneering venture.
BepiColombo is expected to commence its main science mission in early 2026 after making use of several planetary flybys to reach its destination.
The mission aims to study all aspects of Mercury, including its magnetosphere, surface, and internal composition, to better understand the planet and the formation of our solar system.
BepiColombo is utilizing nine planetary flybys and its solar electric propulsion system for navigating and steering into orbit around Mercury.
The spacecraft is equipped with two scientific orbiters, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter, each carrying a suite of instruments for comprehensive measurements.
Although the main science mission begins in 2026, BepiColombo has already returned its first pictures of Mercury, providing valuable data to scientists.
Findings from BepiColombo will deepen our understanding of Mercury’s magnetosphere, geology, and elemental composition, offering clues to the early solar system’s history.
