European and Japanese space agencies announced that an Ariane 5 rocket successfully lifted a BepiColombo spacecraft carrying two probes into orbit for a joint mission to Mercury.
About:
Mission objective: Mercury, which is only slightly larger than Earth’s moon, has a massive iron core about which little is known. Researchers are also hoping to learn more about the formation of the solar system from the data gathered by the BepiColombo mission.
Timeline: BepiColombo spacecraft has begun its seven-year journey to Mercury before arriving at its destination in December 2025.
Mission Components:
When it arrives, BepiColombo will release two probes — Bepi and Mio — that will independently investigate the surface and magnetic field of Mercury.
The European Space Agency (ESA)-developed Bepi will operate in Mercury’s inner orbit, and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA’s) Mio will be in the outer orbit to gather data that would reveal the internal structure of the planet, its surface and geological evolution.
Nomenclature: The spacecraft is named after Italian scientist Giuseppe “Bepi” Colombo.
Earlier mercury missions:
Scientists hope to build on the insights gained by NASA’s Messenger probe, which ended its mission in 2015 after a four-year orbit of Mercury.
The only other spacecraft to visit Mercury was NASA’s Mariner 10 that flew past the planet in the mid-1970s.
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