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BepiColombo

ESA · JAXA · Launch: 20 Oct 2018

Two orbiters travelling together to Mercury after a seven-year cruise and six Mercury flybys.

Objective: Map Mercury's surface, magnetic field and exosphere from two complementary orbits.

Mercury orbit insertion

Nov 2026

Target date · may change

Mission details

Rocket & spacecraft
Ariane 5
Destination
Mercury orbit
Duration
~1 year of science, possible extension
  • Two orbiters: ESA's MPO and JAXA's Mio, separated on arrival.
  • Uses solar-electric propulsion plus 9 planetary flybys (Earth, Venus, Mercury).
  • Has to survive temperatures above 350 °C.

Milestones

2 of 4 reached

  1. Launch

    Oct 2018

  2. Sixth Mercury flyby

    Jan 2025

  3. Mercury orbit insertion

    Nov 2026Provisional

  4. Science operations begin

    2027Provisional

Future dates are agency targets, not confirmed schedules.

Curated dataset

Official source: ESA BepiColombo →