BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury. Launched on October, 20 2018, it will take seven years (and some planetary slingshots) to reach the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System.
It represents another example of successful international cooperation between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA).
More info: https://sci.esa.int/web/bepicolombo
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| Credit: ESA/BepiColombo/MTM, CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO |
An ESA news article says:
On April 10, 2020 BepiColombo mission completed its first flyby, as the spacecraft came less than 12 700 km from Earth's surface at 06:25 CEST, steering its trajectory towards the final destination, Mercury. Images gathered just before closest approach portray our planet shining through darkness, during one of humankind's most challenging times in recent history.
When it arrives at Mercury in late 2025, it will endure temperatures in excess of 350 °C and gather data during its one-year nominal mission, with a possible one-year extension. The mission comprises two spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio).
