This is one of a series of images taken by the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission on 8 January 2025 as the spacecraft sped by for its sixth and final gravity assist manoeuvre at the planet. Flying over ...

The BepiColombo spacecraft has sent back some incredibly detailed images of Mercury’s north pole. The snapshots were collected during its closest ever flyby of our solar system’s smallest planet.

The BepiColombo spacecraft may have only made rapid ... "It's like we're suddenly seeing the surface composition 'exploded' in 3D through the planet’s very thin atmosphere, known as its ...

Mercury is coming into better focus through the BepiColombo mission. The spacecraft flew by the planet on Jan. 8, snapping a stunning set of closeups as it went. The images show the planet’s ...

But, in fact, it’s actually really difficult to reach the innermost planet of our solar system—which makes it that much more impressive that the ESA and JAXA’s BepiColombo mission has almost ...

Europe's BepiColombo mission will enter orbit of the solar system's first planet in about two years, but it's been whizzing past Mercury regularly as it lines up its approach. The ESA reports that ...

and a laser altimeter called ‘Bela’ (Bepicolombo Laser Altimeter), which will create a 3D image of Mercury’s surface.

BepiColombo was built by the Stevenage-based company Astrium, now Airbus, and launched in 2018. The spacecraft comprises two satellites that will gather data for at least a year, and needs special ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. The BepiColombo spacecraft has made its sixth and final flyby of the closest planet to the sun, ...

But, in fact, it’s actually really difficult to reach the innermost planet of our solar system—which makes it that much more impressive that the ESA and JAXA’s BepiColombo mission has almost reached ...