Spacecraft bound for Mercury begins 'tricky' arrival
After an eight-year journey, a spacecraft carrying European and Japanese probes began the monthslong, high-risk approach to Mercury on Thursday to study the sun-scorched planet.
After an eight-year journey, a spacecraft carrying European and Japanese probes began the monthslong, high-risk approach to Mercury on Thursday to study the sun-scorched planet.
The short version
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- The BepiColombo mission set off from Earth in 2018 on a winding path to study the smallest and least understood planet in our solar system, with the aim of releasing the two probes into its orbit.
- "It's a very ambitious mission," Santa Martinez, the mission manager at ESA, told a news conference ahead of its arrival.
What happened
The spacecraft had to travel more than 10 billion kilometers (6.2 billion miles), executing a series of nine flybys to speed up, slow down and perfect its trajectory. The two probes, which are attached to each other, finally separated Thursday from the transfer module that had propelled them—a crucial first step in the final approach.
Why it matters
Phys.org says spacecraft bound for mercury begins 'tricky' arrival is the central development readers should understand.
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