| Astrophysics (Index) | About |
BepiColombo is a space probe developed by ESA and JAXA, to reach and investigate Mercury. It was launched in October 2018 to arrive in December 2025 for 1 year of scientific investigation. It uses solar electric propulsion to produce an ion thrust (an ion engine), and on the trip, will perform a number of gravity assists with Earth, Venus, and Mercury, the flybys offering opportunity for observation along the way. The gravity assists make the trip efficient, making solar power feasible despite its limitations, but they lengthen the time needed to reach the destination. Included are two orbiters to be deployed at the final arrival:
A proposed third module, MSE, the Mercury surface element, to land for about a week's operation, was canceled.