This was the sixth and final flyby of Mercury for the BepiColombo spacecraft since its launch in 2018, a manoeuvre that will assist the spacecraft in entering orbit around Mercury late next year.

BepiColombo launched in 2018, but after six flybys is due to enter Mercury's orbit (as opposed to just swooping by) in late 2026. The spacecraft will then split into two orbiters that will observe ...

But BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European and Japanese space agencies, seeks to change that. The spacecraft makes its sixth and final flyby on Jan. 8 before returning to enter orbit around ...

Three years later, a joint ESA-JAXA mission will send the BepiColombo spacecraft to Mercury, where it will map the planet and investigate its magnetosphere. Scientists hope to learn whether ice ...

The spacecraft would utilize a traditional launch ... Late next year, the joint JAXA/ESA BepiColombo mission will enter orbit around Mercury, as part of its 18-month nominal mission.

The rocket will deliver into space the spacecraft of the BepiColombo mission, a joint project of the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) for planet ...