BepiColombo Spacecraft Completes Fourth Flyby‍ of⁢ Mercury, Captures Stunning ⁣Images

The European Space Agency’s (ESA) BepiColombo spacecraft has successfully completed ⁢its fourth flyby of Mercury, releasing ⁢sharp images of the planet orbiting closest to the Sun.

On September 5 at ⁤4:48 a.m. ⁣Thailand time, the BepiColombo spacecraft⁣ flew⁣ by⁢ Mercury ⁤at an altitude‌ of 165 kilometers above the surface. This flyby utilized the⁣ star’s gravity to guide the spacecraft into orbit ‍around Mercury in ‌November 2026.

Frank Budnik, the ‍mission’s orbital analysis manager, explained, “The⁢ main goal⁢ of this flyby is to slow BepiColombo’s relative ‌velocity to ⁤the Sun to allow it to ⁣orbit the Sun for 88 days, or nearly so. That’s about the time it takes Mercury to orbit the Sun.”

The mission team also ‌took the opportunity to explore various‌ craters using the three monitoring cameras,​ which are primarily designed to monitor‌ the conditions of ‌the ⁤spacecraft only. The cameras and science detection equipment will also ‍be shielded when the spacecraft enters orbit around Mercury.

According to the ESA, the BepiColombo spacecraft will begin its scientific exploration mission in⁤ 2027, with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s ​Mercury Planetary Orbiter and‌ Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter separating once they​ enter orbit around Mercury.

BepiColombo is the third spacecraft to reach Mercury, following NASA’s ⁤Mariner 10 and MESSENGER‍ missions. It will ⁣use two more ‌flybys to adjust its orbit‌ and ⁣deliver the spacecraft into orbit around ⁢Mercury in November 2026.