BepiColombo Mercury mission to be launched in 2015 28 February 2012 BepiColombo, an ESA mission to the planet Mercury in collaboration with the Japanese space agency, JAXA, and previously targeted for launch in July 2014, is now planned for launch in a window opening in August 2015. Read more
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BepiColombo is Europe's first mission to Mercury. It will set off in 2015 on a journey to the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System. When it arrives at Mercury in January 2022, it will endure temperatures in excess of 350 °C and gather data during its 1 year nominal mission, with a possible 1-year extension. The mission comprises two spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). BepiColombo is a joint mission between ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), executed under ESA leadership.
Latest News
Spacecraft Testing
#12: BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter Proto-Flight Mechanical and Propulsion Bus undergoes bake-out 05 February 2013 The BepiColombo MPO has been baked out in the Phenix thermal vacuum facility at ESTEC, in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Read more
#11: BepiColombo Mercury Planetary Orbiter Proto-Flight Mechanical and Propulsion Bus Arrives at ESTEC 18 January 2013 The BepiColombo MPO Mechanical and Propulsion Bus Proto-Flight Model has arrived at ESTEC for its bake-out operation. Read more
#10: BepiColombo Mercury Transfer Module Mass Properties Measurement 17 December 2012 The mass properties of the BepiColombo Mercury Transfer Module Structural and Thermal Model have been measured at the ESTEC test facilities. Read more
