Mercury, BepiColombo

Scientists explain why BepiColombo’s mission to Mercury is so tricky
Reaching Mercury is such a challenge because “the gravitational pull of the Sun is very strong near Mercury, which makes it difficult for spacecraft to slow down enough to enter orbit around the planet,” explains Lina Hadid, staff scientist at CNRS in France and principal investigator of one of BepiColombo’s instruments.
See the amazing images of Mercury captured by the BepiColombo mission
The European Space Agency (ESA)’s BepiColombo mission has made another flyby of Mercury, capturing fascinating images of this lesser-studied inner planet. On January 8, 2025, the spacecraft made its sixth flyby of the small planet located close to the sun, taking advantage of the planet’s gravity to adjust its course so it can enter orbit in 2026.
Spacecraft captures high-def images of Mercury during very close flyby
A spacecraft named BepiColombo is currently zipping by planet Mercury, making a very close flyby and snapping incredible high-def photos.
In Photos: See Mercury’s Craters In Rare Close-Ups After Final Flyby
The BepiColombo spacecraft has sent back three images of Mercury after a brief flyby of the planet on Jan. 8, 2025.
Mercury looks stunning in images from BepiColombo spacecraft's 6th and final flyby
BepiColombo made its sixth and final flyby of Mercury on Wed (Jan. 8) capturing images of the tiny planet hinting at the mysteries it will soon investigate.
BepiColombo captures stunning icy craters on Mercury flyby
This marks the sixth mission of the BepiColombo probe in Mercury's orbit, bringing it to within just 183 miles of the most minor planet in the Solar System. The close views of the icy craters are truly impressive.
Breathtaking New Views of Mercury From BepiColombo’s Sixth Flyby
ESA's BepiColombo spacecraft is currently undertaking a series of gravity-assisted maneuvers around Mercury, capturing increasingly close-up images of this enigmatic planet. With each flyby, the probe edges closer to its final orbit in 2026,
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See Mercury's frigid north pole in extraordinary new images from the BepiColombo spacecraft
European mission to Mercury just made its sixth flyby of the planet, revealing stunning close-ups of the permanently shadowed ...
Mysterious Mercury Stars In Majestic New BepiColombo Spacecraft Images
Enigmatic planet Mercury posed for some closeups when the BepiColombo mission flew by. Craters, bright regions and volcanic ...
Mercury stuns in incredibly detailed new images
The BepiColombo spacecraft has sent back some incredibly detailed images of Mercury’s north pole. The snapshots were ...
Spacecraft Captures Spectacularly Detailed Images of Mercury’s Hidden Surface
The BepiColombo mission successfully completed its sixth flyby of the innermost planet, moving closer to its final goal of ...
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The physicist on a mission to understand Mercury's epic solar storms
Suzie Imber is a co-investigator for the BepiColombo mission, currently on its way to Mercury. She explains how it will cast ...
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BepiColombo nabs its best views yet of Mercury
Japanese spacecraft made its closest flyby of Mercury to date, buzzing the planet’s north pole and peering into shadowed ...
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New, Stunning Images of Mercury’s North Pole Will Help Scientists Study the Planet’s Mysterious Permanent Shadows
The BepiColombo spacecraft captured the photographs during its last flyby of Mercury, a maneuver necessary to propel the ...
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Spacecraft makes final flyby of smallest planet in solar system
The European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) launched the joint Mercury mission in 2018. The ...