Persistent mission page
BepiColombo finally arrives at Mercury
Getting close to the Sun is difficult because a spacecraft must lose the sideways speed it inherited from Earth instead of simply falling inward.
WINDOW SETNovember 2026 · exact sequence TBAESA currently gives a month, not a precise capture instant. Routine science is expected in early 2027.
ENGINEERING DIAGRAM · NOT TO SCALE · EXPECTEDWhy show them
After an eight-year journey and nine planetary flybys, BepiColombo is expected to begin its complex Mercury arrival and place two science orbiters on different paths.
Look for
Listen for separate confirmations: transfer-module separation, capture or arrival operations, and later deployment of the two orbiters. Arrival is a sequence, not one switch.
Tell them this
Getting close to the Sun is difficult because a spacecraft must lose the sideways speed it inherited from Earth instead of simply falling inward.
Ask them
Why might two orbiters learn more by following different paths around the same planet?
What happens next
ESA publishes the dated arrival timeline and coverage plan.
Update history
What changed
This is the initial edition. Later factual schedule or watch-link changes will appear here with their source and update lineage.
- Content revision
- kids-next-five-8360acce9609df01
- Last source observation
- 2026-08-11T04:20:41Z
- Next milestone
- ESA publishes the dated arrival timeline and coverage plan.
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