BepiColombo probe captures new image of Mercury during fifth flyby

space.com

The BepiColombo probe completed its fifth flyby of Mercury on December 1, 2024, capturing a new image of the planet. This flyby was 200 times farther from Mercury than the previous one, which was just 103 miles away. During this flyby, BepiColombo used its Mercury Radiometer and Thermal Infrared Spectrometer (MERTIS) for the first time. This instrument measures the temperature and mineral composition of Mercury's surface, addressing key scientific questions about the planet. Originally scheduled to reach Mercury in December 2025, the mission has been delayed to November 2026 due to thruster issues. BepiColombo will eventually separate into two orbiters to study Mercury with 16 scientific instruments.


With a significance score of 3, this news ranks in the top 12% of today's 30182 analyzed articles.

Get summaries of news with significance over 5.5 (usually ~10 stories per week). Read by 10,000+ subscribers:


BepiColombo probe captures new image of Mercury during fifth flyby | News Minimalist