ESA's BepiColombo mission nears major turning point on Mercury approach

The European Space Agency's BepiColombo mission to Mercury is approaching a critical milestone. A pair of probes will separate from the mothership, marking the start of the mission's Mercury arrival phase. This manoeuvre, scheduled for 3 September 2026, is the most critical yet, according to Euronews.

The separation of the Mercury Transfer Module is a complex process, with several operational challenges and milestones ahead. These include Mercury orbit insertion in November 2026 and the separation of the two science orbiters - ESA's MPO and JAXA's Mio - in December 2026, as reported by ESA Space Science.

BepiColombo is a joint mission between Europe and Japan, and it will be the most complex mission ever sent to Mercury. The orbiters will be only the second and third to orbit the planet, which is one of the solar system's most extreme places due to its proximity to the Sun.

Brief written by urgent.news from Euronews, ESA Space Science — 2 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.