BepiColombo's Final Flyby

On January 8, 2025, the highly anticipated BepiColombo mission, a collaboration between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will execute its sixth and final flyby of Mercury. The spacecraft will come astonishingly close, flying just 295 kilometers above the planet's surface. The closest approach is slated for 06:59 CET (05:59 UTC). This critical maneuver will not only allow BepiColombo to capture stunning images of Mercury but also to conduct vital measurements of the planet’s environment, ultimately setting the stage for its main scientific mission in late 2026.

BepiColombo embarked on its journey over six years ago and is on a remarkable eight-year trek to Mercury. During its mission, it will perform nine planetary flybys: one at Earth, two at Venus, and six at Mercury, strategically using these close encounters to adjust its trajectory and speed for orbit insertion.

Navigating Mercury’s Shadow: A Unique Challenge

During the flyby, BepiColombo will face a unique challenge as it enters Mercury's shadow, where it will be deprived of sunlight for over 23 minutes. Mission operators at the European Space Operations Centre (ESOC) will prepare for this event by warming the spacecraft to conserve battery power, showcasing the meticulous planning that goes into each phase of the mission.

This flyby will take BepiColombo over Mercury's north pole, granting scientists an exclusive opportunity to observe craters that remain in permanent shadow—it is here that evidence of water ice has been suggested by previous missions. The BepiColombo team looks forward to studying craters like Prokofiev, Kandinsky, and Tolkien, with hopes of confirming the presence of frozen water on this scorching planet.

Unlocking Mercury's Mysteries

BepiColombo will also explore regions around Mercury that are yet to be sampled. Notably, it will fly through areas where charged particles flow from the planet’s magnetic tail, a phenomenon not previously captured in detail during earlier missions.

Two specialized instruments—the SERENA and MPPE particle analysers—will analyze these regions as part of the flyby's mission to gather extensive information about Mercury's magnetic and particle environment. The data collected could lead to groundbreaking discoveries about Mercury's surface and atmosphere.

About BepiColombo: A Groundbreaking Mission to Unveil the Secrets of Mercury

Launched on October 20, 2018, BepiColombo is Europe’s ambitious first mission to Mercury. Designed as a dual spacecraft venture, it includes ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio). As the spacecraft travels through space, it is not just a mission; it's a groundbreaking journey designed to uncover secrets about our solar system's innermost planet.

After arriving at Mercury in late 2026 and separating into their respective orbits, the two scientific orbiters will work collaboratively to gather data over a one-year mission, with the possibility of extending their operations for another year.

Stay tuned for spectacular images and vital scientific insights from this thrilling mission as BepiColombo navigates its last flyby of Mercury, preparing for an exciting future in lunar science!