First image of this week’s rare double flyby of Venus

The BepiColombo mission obtained this close-up image of the planet Venus during its passage on August 10. The spacecraft used Venus for gravitational assistance en route to its ultimate destination, Mercury. This is one of two spacecraft passing through the planet this week, the other being Solar Orbiter, which passed yesterday.

BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European Space Agency and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, is actually made up of two orbiters: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter. The old map the planet in great detail, and the latter will study its magnetosphere. But in order for all of this to happen, the spacecraft had to launch a slingshot around Venus. By a happy coincidence, Solar Orbiter was also in the vicinity, providing scientists with a unique observation opportunity. We are still awaiting news of the Solar Orbiter flyby yesterday.

This image of an impending Venus was taken by BepiColombo when she was 977 miles away, according to a Release from ESA. It was taken by the spacecraft’s third surveillance camera aboard the Mercury transfer module. Lightly processed (to improve contrast), the image captures the antenna of the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and part of BepiColombo’s body.

It was the second gravitational assistance of Venus by BepiColombo and the third of the nine total overflights the spacecraft should operate as it approaches Mercury. BepiColombo’s closest approach to Venus today occurred just under 350 miles above the planet’s surface, making it a pretty close shave, especially compared to Solar Orbiter. , which only reached about 5,000 miles from the planet yesterday, according to at ESA.

BepiColombo’s future overflights will be over the planet Mercury and will slow the spacecraft enough to enter the planet’s orbit. The first of them is scheduled for early October.

More: Rare back-to-back Venus flyovers to take place next week