Bepicolombo probe completes critical maneuver at Mercury

The European-Japanese space probe Bepicolombo successfully completed the critical separation of its propulsion module after eight years of flight, marking a key milestone on its mission to explore Mercury. The maneuver, described as a high-risk operation, was confirmed via live broadcast from the ESA control center in Darmstadt. The two orbiters aboard are now on course for their planned orbits around Mercury, the least explored planet in the inner solar system. The 1.7 billion euro mission aims to study Mercury's magnetic field, surface, core, and gas envelope, with signals taking over eleven minutes to travel between the probe and Earth. The orbiters are scheduled to separate from each other on December 9-10, enter their orbits in December and March, with scientific operations beginning in April. Launched on October 20, 2018, the mission includes instruments from the University of Bern, including a mass spectrometer and a laser altimeter.