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This is the first image captured in space by the Euro-Japanese BepiColombo mission to Mercury. He was captured by a surveillance camera on BepiColombo's mercury transfer module (MTM) on October 20, 2018, the day after the launch of the mission on his long journey to Mercury. The photo shows one of the extended solar panels of BepiColombo (right) and a solar collector wrapped with insulation on the MTM (left).
Credit: ESA / BepiColombo / MTM – CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
A recently launched mission The first European-Japanese BepiColombo mission captured a selfie showing an extended solar panel and a solar collector wrapped in insulation Saturday, October 20, a day after leaving Kourou. (French Guiana)
The heart of BepiColombo is made up of two spacecraft: the European Space Agency's global mercury orbit (DFO) and the European Space Agency's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbit (MMO), supplied by the European Space Agency. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. A third component, the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), is used to support this duo during the long cruise on the innermost planet of the solar system. [BepiColombo in Pictures: A Mercury Mission by Europe and Japan]
And this cruise will be very long. BepiColombo is expected to go into orbit around Mercury in December 2025, after nine different planetary flights – one from Earth, two from Venus and six from Mercury. This complicated trajectory is a consequence of Mercury's high orbital velocity and its proximity to the sun; Mercury-related spacecraft must thread a needle to reach the planet and avoid being sucked by the powerful gravity of our star.
Once in Mercury, the two orbiters will separate and follow their own path. The various data collected by the duo will provide a complete picture of the rocky planet, illuminating its composition, structure, magnetic field, training and evolution, said mission leaders.
This diagram shows the spacecraft that is part of the BepiColombo Mercury mission, as well as the location of the surveillance camera that took the first picture of the mission – the selfie on the left, captured on October 20, 2018. the day after the launch of the mission.
Credit: ESA / BepiColombo / MTM – CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO
The first historical photograph was taken by one of three black and white surveillance cameras aboard the MTM. If all goes as planned, the other two cameras will be activated Sunday (Oct. 21) and will take pictures of the medium-gain, high-gain antennas deployed by DFO, ESA officials said.
"Surveillance cameras will be used at various times during the cruise phase, including overflights of Earth, Venus and Mercury," ESA officials wrote in a description of the newly published photo.
"Although DFO is equipped with a high-resolution scientific camera, it can only be used after the separation of the MTM upon arrival at Mercury late 2025 because, like many of the 11 suites, of instruments, it is located on the side they add.
Mike Wall's book on the search for extraterrestrial life, " Out There ," will be published in November 13 from Grand Central Publishing Follow him on Twitter @michaeldwall Follow us @Spacedotcom or Facebook [19659016] Originally published on Space.com .
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