Launch of a new spacecraft to reach Mercury

The BepiColumbo, a Euro-Japanese spacecraft, was launched Friday (October 18th) from French Guiana for a seven-year trip to Mercury, the planet closest to the sun. The ship will follow the Earth once, Venus twice and Mercury six times. The multiple flyovers slow down the shuttle enough to be driven by the gravity of Mercury. It is expected to arrive in 2025. The spacecraft will be the third in history to make the trip.

What is the BepiColumbo?

the BepiColumbo, named after the Italian scientist Giuseppe Columbo (nicknamed Bepi), is actually two spacecraft that will separate once they reach Mercury.

The two will then orbit the planet in separate directions and are designed to collect different data.

The Japanese machine, called Mio, will measure the interactions between the magnetic field of Mercury and the particles emitted by the sun.

The European machine, officially called the European Mercury Planetary Orbiter, carries instruments that detect gamma rays and X-rays of radioactive materials on the planet and measure the amount of different types of gases in the atmosphere. There is also a camera to map the reliefs on the surface. These instruments are similar to those of NASA Messenger spacecraft that went to Mercury in 2004. The new tools of the European spacecraft will have a higher resolution and will add to the data from the previous mission.

Both rockets are also equipped with magnetometers and will measure the planet's magnetic field in two places simultaneously.

These two data readings will provide an analysis of the field around the globe at the same time.

#BepiColombo sailed to investigate the mysteries of Mercury: https://t.co/F4jugOSLcU pic.twitter.com/dWsAN0k8B9

– BepiColombo (@BepiColombo) October 20, 2018

Why is mercury important?

Mercury is mainly made up of rocks such as Venus, Earth and Mars, but has an unusually large iron core. The scientists hypothesized that the planet was exposed to extreme heat and pressure during the formation of the solar system, which caused the formation of a denser iron core. However, previous expeditions had revealed that the planet's chemical composition still contained lighter elements that would have evaporated during such a test.

Understanding the peculiarity of Mercury's core could help to better understand how the planets of our solar system began to form, as well as how the planets were created.

Studies of the effects of the solar wind on the atmosphere of Mercury can also give an idea of ​​how the planets near our solar system and near their own sun are likely to behave. This can help predict if these planets can support life.

"This topic will be the key step of future science, the livability of exoplanets," said Go Murakami, a Japanese scientist involved in the mission, in an interview with The New York Times.

The BepiColumbo will be in orbits around Mercury until 2027, with a possible extension of one year until 2028.