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The flyby captured stunning images of Mercury. (Photo Credits: X)
The BepiColombo mission was launched in 2018 and is expected to enter Mercury’s orbit by November 2026.
The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo mission experienced engine problems causing the spacecraft to unexpectedly fly closer to Mercury, according to an AFP report. The mission, launched in 2018, was initially slated to enter Mercury’s orbit in December 2025, but the new trajectory might extend the date until November 2026.
Mercury is challenging for spacecraft to reach, said Paris Observatory astronomer Alain Doressoundiram. In April, another malfunction with the spacecraft’s thrusters depleted some of its power, changing its path. The altered route required the spacecraft to fly 35 kilometres (22 miles) closer to Mercury than originally planned.
Despite the issues, the European Space Agency recently confirmed that the fourth flyby has proceeded smoothly and also shared a new image of Mercury, taken 23 minutes after the closest approach at a distance of 3500 km.
BepiColombo completed its fourth of six gravity assist flybys at Mercury, further capturing more images of special impact craters. Taken on September 4, 2024, from 165 km above the planet’s surface, the spacecraft had a clear view of the planet’s south pole.
Frank Budnik, BepiColombo Flight Dynamics Manager, said the aim is to reduce the spacecraft’s speed relative to the Sun so that the spacecraft has an orbital period around the Sun of 88 days, very close to the orbital period of Mercury. “We are right where we wanted to be. It also gave us the chance to take photos and carry out science measurements, from locations and perspectives that we will never reach once we are in orbit,” he added.
Johannes Benkhoff, the project scientist, said that the team is thrilled with the success of the flyby and that the collected data will provide new insights into Mercury’s evolution and help fine-tune our instruments for the main science mission.
Presently, the fourth flyby has lined BepiColombo up for a fifth and sixth flyby of the planet for December 2024 and January 2024, respectively. The spacecraft includes two orbiters that will circle Mercury.