BepiColombo spacecraft set to enter Mercury orbit after decade-long journey

The European Space Agency confirmed Thursday that its BepiColombo spacecraft, launched in 2018, is on track to enter Mercury's orbit in November after a near decade-long voyage, with the mission's lead scientist calling the milestone "a brilliant moment." The conjoined European and Japanese spacecraft, still two million miles from Mercury as of Thursday, will split in December to map and study the planet from different altitudes. The mission required nine planetary flybys to slow down enough for capture, with the last flyby in January 2025 capturing images of impact craters and volcanic plains. Only Nasa's Messenger spacecraft has previously explored Mercury, a scorching world where temperatures exceed 427C yet polar craters hold ice. Science observations begin next spring, studying the planet's magnetic field, dense interior, and surface geology, with the European Space Agency covering most costs.