The European Space Agency’s (ESA) Jupiter mission is not the only exciting space-related news. The agency recently captured stunning images of Mercury, the smallest planet in our solar system, as part of its BepiColombo mission.
The spacecraft, launched in 2018, made its final flyby of Mercury on January 7-8, 2025, capturing breathtaking images of the planet’s surface. The images were taken by onboard monitoring cameras and show a range of striking features, including craters, mountains, and lava flows.
One of the most striking features is the long shadows cast by the planet’s surface, particularly in the Prokofiev crater. The central peak of this crater casts spiky shadows that exaggerate the shape of the mountain, creating an otherworldly landscape.
The images also showcase Mercury’s northern plains, which were smoothed over billions of years ago by massive amounts of lava flowing across its cratered surface. These plains are visible in both M-CAM 1 and M-CAM 2 images, with the Mendelssohn crater appearing prominently in both views.
As part of the BepiColombo mission, the spacecraft will soon enter orbit around Mercury in late 2026. The ESA/JAXA partnership has captured some truly remarkable images that offer a glimpse into the planet’s fascinating geology and composition.
The images will continue to be monitored by onboard cameras until September 2026, when they will be replaced by more powerful science cameras on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) spacecraft. The MPO will map Mercury over a range of colours in visible and infrared light, providing even more insights into the planet’s unique features.
Follow ESA for the latest updates on the BepiColombo mission and its incredible discoveries about Mercury and beyond.
Source: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Videos/2025/01/BepiColombo_s_sixth_Mercury_flyby_the_movie