The BepiColombo spacecraft is on its way to Mercury

The probe was successfully launched last night and will arrive at Mercury in seven years.

BepiColombo left Earth last night at 3:45 am (Dutch time). Half an hour later, it was clear that the launch had been carried out according to the booklet and that the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) were able to breathe a sigh of relief . "The launch of BepiColombo is a milestone for ESA and JAXA," said Jan Wörner, general manager of ESA

An Exciting Trip
There will be years to come – during which BepiColombo will move on our planet. the squeezed solar system – but many other exciting moments ensue. "BepiColombo is one of the most complex interplanetary missions we have ever undertaken," said Andrea Accomazzo, also associated with ESA. "One of the biggest challenges is the enormous gravity of the sun, which makes it difficult to put a spacecraft into orbit around Mercury." The extreme temperatures (between -180 and more than 450 degrees Celsius) that characterize BepiColombo supporter is a challenge. "We have to overcome many obstacles in the coming years," says Ulrich Reininghaus, BepiColombo's project manager at ESA

. Picture of BepiColombo: Medialab ESA / ATG. Image from Mercury: NASA / JPL

Questions
But the tension is worth it. Of all the planets found in the inner part of our solar system, we know the least about Mercury. To date, there have been only two space probes at Mercury: Mariner 10 (which has traveled three times the small planet in 1974 and 1975) and MESSENGER (orbited around Mercury in 2011, but is no longer active ). Both missions brought new knowledge, but also left many questions unanswered. It is hoped that BepiColombo will be able to answer these questions.

Research
The ESA and JAXA hope to know if Mercury is still active on the tectonic plane, what the planet looks like and what are the characteristics of its magnetic field. how he is from. In addition, the mission should provide a better understanding of the origins and evolution of a planet as close to the parent star (which may also affect our understanding of planets outside our system. solar).

Two Space Probes
For All To answer questions, ESA and JAXA developed a mission consisting of two spacecraft: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (DFO) and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO). The probes will each have a different job and will each have their own research questions.

BepiColombo must be patient: it will take a little more than seven years before the mission arrives at Mercury. During these seven years, a shaving flight is planned along the earth (in April 2020), as well as two shaving flights along Venus (October 2020 and August 2021) and six shaving flights along Mercury. between October 2021 and January 2025. By the end of 2025, the probes will be installed around Mercury. The probes should conduct mercury research for one year (terrestrial), but the mission could be extended for another year.