BepiColombo begins risky arrival at Mercury after eight-year journey

The European-Japanese BepiColombo mission began its high-risk arrival phase at Mercury on Thursday, after an eight-year journey, with the separation of its two probes from the transfer module. The maneuver was confirmed successful by the Darmstadt control center, marking a critical step toward studying the solar system's least-known planet. Launched in October 2018, the four-ton spacecraft traveled over 10 billion kilometers with nine planetary flybys to adjust its trajectory. The extreme environment, with temperatures from -180°C to 450°C and intense solar radiation, makes orbital insertion perilous, and commands take at least 32 minutes to reach the vehicle. The mission, named after Italian mathematician Giuseppe Colombo, includes the ESA's MPO orbiter and JAXA's Mio probe, with 16 instruments on a €1.7 billion budget. Scientists aim to study Mercury's exosphere, magnetic field, volcanic history, potential water ice at its poles, and mysterious surface depressions called hollows, with data collection starting in April.