After a journey of almost seven years through the Solar System, ESA/JAXA’s BepiColombo mission is preparing for the final sequence that will lead to the start of its scientific exploration of Mercury.
Here are the next key milestones:
3 September 2026
The Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which has powered the spacecraft during its interplanetary cruise, will separate from the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio).
21 November 2026
Still joined together, MPO and Mio will be captured by Mercury’s gravity and enter their first highly elliptical orbit around the planet.
9–10 December 2026
The two orbiters will separate, allowing each spacecraft to continue its journey towards its operational orbit around Mercury.
16 December 2026
The protective sunshield, which safeguarded Mio throughout the cruise phase, will be jettisoned.
10 March 2027
MPO will complete its transfer and reach its final operational orbit, approximately 1,500 km above Mercury’s surface.
6 April 2027
The mission’s scientific operations officially begin.
For the first time, two complementary spacecraft will simultaneously investigate Mercury’s surface, interior, exosphere, magnetic field and its interaction with the solar wind, providing an unprecedented view of the innermost planet of our Solar System.
OHB Italia is proud to contribute to this remarkable mission through the SERENA instrument, developed together with the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) and ASI – Agenzia Spaziale Italiana. SERENA (Search for Exosphere Refilling and Emitted Neutral Abundances) is a suite of four sensors designed to investigate the interaction between Mercury’s surface and its surrounding space environment. By measuring neutral and ionised particles around the planet, SERENA will help scientists better understand Mercury’s exosphere and the complex processes that govern the release, transport and escape of particles between the surface, the exosphere and the magnetosphere.
The countdown has begun.
Image credit – ESA (European Space Agency)
Under a programme of and funded by the European Space Agency.
The views expressed herein can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of the European Space Agency.
