BepiColombo enters Mercury orbit after eight-year journey

The European-Japanese BepiColombo mission has reached Mercury after an eight-year, nine-billion-kilometer journey, entering its crucial orbital phase around the solar system's innermost planet on Thursday. The two orbiters, the European MPO and Japanese MMO, will separate from the transfer module and use Mercury's gravity to enter an elliptical orbit, approaching as close as 670 kilometers. The maneuver will take until early December, with the probes finally splitting onto separate orbits at 590 kilometers altitude. Scientific operations begin in April 2027, with MPO mapping the surface and studying the planet's interior, while MMO examines its magnetic field. The mission aims to answer unresolved questions about Mercury's magnetic field, core composition, and possible ice in craters, building on earlier US missions.