The first up-close view of Mercury has been captured by a space mission launched jointly by the Japanese and European space agencies.
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BepiColombo, a pair of orbiters linked together, snapped several photos Oct. 1, during a long-awaited flyby of the innermost planet in our Solar System. According to the European Space Agency, the images depict Mercury's northern hemisphere as well as the many craters scattered on its surface. One of these craters has been the scene of numerous volcanic explosions. The magnetometer boom and antennas of the spacecrafts are also captured in the image.
BepiColombo was launched by the ESA and Japan Space Exploration Agency in 2018. It was designed to take images of Mercury and help us understand its origins and evolution. Only two probes ever made it to the planet have been successful: Mariner 10 and MESSENGER. They flew by in 1975 and 1975 respectively.
This week's flyby was BepiColombos sixth around Mercury. The probes reached the surface of Mercury within 124 miles (199km)
Elsa Montagnon (missions spacecraft operations manager), stated that the flyby was flawless from spacecraft's point of view and it was amazing to finally see the target planet.
It was exciting to see BepiColombos very first images of Mercury and to try to figure out what we were seeing. David Rothery, head ESAs Mercury Surface and Composition Working Group, said that it was an amazing experience. Because Mercury is a planet we don't fully understand, it has motivated me to continue my pursuit of the highest quality science data we can get while in orbit around it.
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The Mercury flyby for next year is scheduled for June. It will be followed by four others in June 2023 and September 2024, December 20,24, 2024, 2024, 2025, and 2025. If all goes according to plan BepiColombo should be able to slow down enough to reach Mercury's orbit by 2025. The orbiters will then begin their main scientific mission, mapping Mercury's surface to study its composition and magnetic field.
