BepiColombo, a joint mission by #ESA and #JAXA, with strong support from the Italian Space Agency (#ASI), has successfully completed its fourth flyby of Mercury. Launched in 2018, this mission aims to study Mercury using two probes: the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (#MMO) to measure magnetic fields and particles, and the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (#MPO) for remote sensing and radioscience.
A key contributor to the mission is OHB Italia S.p.A., which acted as Prime Contractor for the #SERENApayload, a suite of four instruments designed to detect particles emitted from Mercury’s surface. One of these instruments, #ELENA (Emitted Low Energy Neutral Atoms), developed by OHB Italia, analyzes particles and helps study the planet’s interaction with the solar wind and magnetosphere.
During the flyby on September 4, BepiColombo flew just 165 km above Mercury’s surface, capturing detailed images of craters like the Vivaldi basin and Stoddart crater, revealing new information about Mercury’s surface shaped by billions of years of impacts.
This fourth flyby prepares BepiColombo for two more in December 2024 and January 2025, before it enters Mercury’s orbit in November 2026.
Stay tuned for further update!
#SpaceExploration #BepiColombo #Mercury #ESA #JAXA #OHBItalia #ASI #SERENA #SolarSystem #ScienceInnovation
