Laser altimeter BELA ready to explore Mercury's surface
Launched on Oct. 20, 2018, the joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has traveled for almost eight years, using a carefully planned but eventful sequence of planetary flybys and solar-electric propulsion to gradually approach its destination, Mercury. The mission is now entering the final stage of its journey to the smallest and innermost planet of our solar system.
On September 14, 2026, the laser altimeter BELA onboard the BepiColombo spacecraft successfully activated its laser for the first time in space since 2017. BELA, developed by an international consortium led by the University of Bern and the German Aerospace Center (DLR), aims to measure Mercury's surface shape, topography, and morphology with unprecedented accuracy.
The activation was a critical step towards the start of BepiColombo's scientific mission in 2027. After being integrated onto the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) spacecraft in 2016, BELA underwent a series of tests to ensure its reliable operation, confirming that it performed as expected after eight years in space. Once JAXA's Mio is deployed into its operational orbit around Mercury on December 9, 2026, ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) will be prepared for its own science orbit, reaching Mercury in March 2027.
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