BepiColombo spacecraft begin final approach to Mercury after decade-long journey

Two spacecraft from the BepiColombo mission separated from their mother ship on Thursday, entering the final stage of their nearly decade-long voyage to Mercury, with orbit insertion expected in November. The European and Japanese probes will then split in December to study the planet from different altitudes. Controllers at the European Space Agency’s center in Germany received confirmation via radio signals after two anxious hours, with the operation occurring over 124 million miles away. Launched in 2018, the mission has traveled over 6 billion miles on a roundabout route, requiring nine planetary flybys to slow down enough for Mercury’s orbit. Named for an Italian mathematician from NASA’s 1970s Mariner 10 mission, BepiColombo is only the second mission to explore Mercury, following NASA’s Messenger. Science observations begin next spring, studying the planet’s magnetic field, dense interior, and surface geology, with the European Space Agency covering most of the $2 billion cost.