BepiColombo begins Mercury arrival 8 years after launch

The BepiColombo spacecraft, a joint European-Japanese mission, began its arrival phase at Mercury on Sep. 3, eight years after launch, marking a critical step toward orbiting the planet. The Mercury Transfer Module released its payload, initiating a six-month sequence to place two probes in orbit. The separation left ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and JAXA's Mio spacecraft together for final approach, with orbital insertion scheduled for Nov. 21. The mission faced complications in April 2024 when a solar panel issue reduced thruster power, delaying arrival from December 2025 to November 2026. BepiColombo launched in October 2018 and used multiple planetary flybys to slow its trajectory. After arrival, 16 maneuvers will position the probes, with science operations beginning April 2027 to study Mercury's surface, interior, and magnetic field.