BepiColombo Achieves Major Milestone En Route to Mercury

The European Space Agency (ESA) announced a critical breakthrough for the BepiColombo spacecraft on its journey to Mercury, following the successful separation of its Transfer Module from the main spacecraft.

This key operation marks the beginning of the final phase to enter Mercury's orbit in November, wrapping up an eight-year journey that relied on gravity-assist flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury.

A joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), BepiColombo will later split into two independent orbiters to begin detailed scientific investigations of Mercury's surface and magnetic field by early 2027