The European Space Agency’s (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) joint mission, BepiColombo, is set to make its sixth and final flyby of the planet Mercury on January 8, 2025. The spacecraft will approach within 295 km above the surface, allowing it to capture high-quality images and gather unique measurements of the environment.
During this close encounter, BepiColombo’s cameras and scientific instruments will investigate the surface and surroundings of Mercury, providing valuable insights into the planet’s composition and geology. The mission aims to shed light on some of the top mysteries surrounding Mercury, including the presence or absence of water ice in permanently shadowed craters.
The flyby will also offer a unique opportunity for BepiColombo to explore Mercury’s magnetic and particle environment, allowing the spacecraft to sample regions that have not been visited before. The mission is expected to provide new insights into the planet’s magnetic field and its interaction with charged particles from the solar wind.
BepiColombo has traveled over six years through space and will use this final flyby to fine-tune its science instrument operations before entering orbit around Mercury in late 2026. The spacecraft will then separate and maneuver to its dedicated polar orbits, beginning science operations in early 2027.
Source: https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_to_swing_by_Mercury_for_the_sixth_time