GoKawiilBepiColombo sheds propulsion module ahead of Mercury orbit insertion
ESA's BepiColombo mission, a joint effort with Japan and the US costing nearly $2 billion, has released the Mercury Transfer Module that powered and propelled the spacecraft since its 2018 launch. The jettison follows nine gravity-assist flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury designed to slow the craft enough for Mercury's gravity to eventually capture it into orbit later this year.
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Reaching Mercury demands more energy than missions traveling far deeper into the Solar System, making this mission's ion-propulsion system and flyby sequence a notable engineering feat. Successfully entering orbit would give scientists a rare, sustained close-up view of a planet that has been visited by only two prior missions, expanding understanding of how rocky planets form near a star.
- BepiColombo has completed eight years of gravity-assist maneuvers to reach Mercury.
- The Mercury Transfer Module, containing its ion thrusters, has now been jettisoned as no longer needed.
- The spacecraft is expected to enter Mercury orbit later this year after nine total planetary flybys.
Celestron NexStar 130SLT Telescope — Following BepiColombo's long chase to Mercury might make you want to spot the elusive innermost planet yourself. The computerized NexStar 130SLT can slew to planets automatically, which helps with tricky low-on-the-horizon targets like Mercury just after sunset.
See Celestron NexStar 130SLT Telescope on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: arstechnica.com, 2026-09-04
Published there as: “After 8 years, Europe's BepiColombo mission is on final approach to Mercury”
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