Flight over 2 spaceships in Venus in 2 days

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Drawing of Venus seen from above with the trajectory of each spaceship as a curve, one on each side.
Artist concept of 2 spaceships visiting Venus. Image via ESA.

Double flyby of Venus

Venus is about to receive two visitors, just 33 hours apart. The two spaceships both need gravitational assistance as they pass Venus. It is about losing orbital energy en route to their destinations: the sun and Mercury. The Solar Orbiter, a joint venture between ESA and NASA, is heading towards the sun, where it will observe the solar poles. BepiColombo, a joint venture of ESA and JAXA, is heading to Mercury. The pair of spaceships will pass Venus on August 9 and 10, respectively. In doing so, they will turn their on-board instruments towards the cloudy planet.

First, Solar Orbiter

Solar Orbiter comes closest to Venus at a distance of 4,967 miles (7,995 km) on August 9 at 04:42 UTC (convert UTC to your time). Solar Orbiter has already passed Venus once during a gravitational assist in December 2020 and will perform regular overflights of Venus as it increases its orbital tilt. As the NASA website says:

Solar Orbiter travels nearly 26 million miles [42 million km] of the sun, inside the orbit of Mercury, to measure the magnetic fields, waves, energetic particles and plasma escaping from the sun while they are still in their original state, before being modified and mixed up in their long journey from the sun.

The spacecraft must remain facing the sun during its flyover, but its SoloHI imaging instrument on the spacecraft may be able to image the night of Venus leading to the closest approach. Solar Orbiter will also collect data on the magnetic and plasma environment of Venus.

Solar Orbiter will return to Earth for a flyby on November 27 at a distance of 285 miles (460 km). Then the spaceship will head back to Venus for more flyovers, as she moves into her ideal viewing position for the sun.

Then BepiColombo

BepiColombo comes closest to Venus at a planetary distance of 341 miles (550 km) on August 10 at 1:48 p.m. UTC. BepiColombo was launched in 2018 and takes seven years to reach its target, Mercury. Its winding route will require overflights of Earth, Venus, and Mercury itself to reach Mercury’s orbit and fight against the sun’s gravitational pull. Once in orbit of Mercury, the fun begins, as it tries to solve these five mysteries. According to the ESA website:

When it arrives at Mercury at the end of 2025, it will withstand temperatures above 350 C [662 F] and collect data during its nominal one-year mission, with a possible one-year extension… It will study and understand the composition, geophysics, atmosphere, magnetosphere and history of Mercury, the most common planet. less explored of the inner solar system.

BepiColombo has already returned images of Earth and Venus and will soon have more images to share. The spacecraft has three surveillance cameras that will focus on Venus during the flyby. The black-and-white images are expected to begin arriving on Earth on the evening of August 10.

One thing that BepiColombo cameras won’t see? Solar orbiter. Solar Orbiter will also not be able to take an image of BepiColombo. The two spacecraft remain 357,000 miles (575,000 km) apart on their closest approach.

Just like Solar Orbiter, BepiColombo will also collect information about the magnetic and plasma environment of Venus. After leaving Venus, BepiColombo reaches Mercury on October 1 or 2, in the first of six overflights. The initial flyby drops it just 200 km above the planet’s surface.

Venus diagram and timing of 2 spaceship flyover trajectories with many labels and annotations.
See bigger. | This diagram captures key moments as Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo hover over Venus 33 hours apart on August 9 and 10, 2021. Image via ESA.

Animations of the 2 flyovers of spaceships so close in time

Discover these animations of the flyovers of Venus. The first is from Solar Orbiter, during its second flight over the planet, which will take place on August 9, 2021. The second is from BepiColombo as it performs gravitational assistance beyond Venus on its way to Mercury. The flight over BepiColombo takes place on August 10, 2021.

Follow the flyby of 2 spaceships

You can follow the flyovers live on social media. Follow @ESASolarOrbiter, @bepicolombo with @ESA_Bepi, @ESA_MTM and @JAXA_MMO, and @Esaoperations for real-time updates. The public is encouraged to ask questions in advance using the hashtag #AskESA.

Conclusion: Two spaceships, Solar Orbiter and BepiColombo, perform overflights of Venus just 33 hours apart on August 9 and 10, 2021.

Via ESA

Kelly kizer whitt

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About the Author:

Kelly Kizer Whitt has been a science writer specializing in astronomy for over two decades. She started her career at Astronomy Magazine and has regularly contributed to AstronomyToday and the Sierra Club, among others. Her children’s picture book, Solar System Forecast, was published in 2012. She also wrote a dystopian young adult novel called A Different Sky. When not reading or writing about astronomy and looking at the stars, she enjoys traveling in national parks, creating crosswords, running, playing tennis, and paddleboarding. Kelly lives with her family in Wisconsin.

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