BepiColombo Reaches Mercury After 6 Billion Miles
The European Space Agency's spacecraft is set to enter orbit around the planet in November 2026, while NASA delays Crew-13 launch due to oxidizer leak
The BepiColombo spacecraft has begun its arrival at Mercury after nearly eight years of travel, with the European Space Agency's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter separating from the Mercury Transfer Module and heading towards the planet's orbit.
The spacecraft has traveled over 6 billion miles on its roundabout route to Mercury and has 3.3 million kilometers to go before reaching its destination. The BepiColombo spacecraft will enter orbit around Mercury in November 2026, with the two orbiters separating from each other in December 2026.
Meanwhile, NASA has delayed the launch of Crew-13 due to an oxidizer leak found in the Dragon spacecraft's propulsion system. The Crew-13 mission will carry four astronauts: Jessica Watkins, Luke Delaney, Joshua Kutryk, and Sergey Teteryatnikov. The Dragon spacecraft will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
## What's at stake The BepiColombo mission is a significant milestone in space exploration, with the European Space Agency and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency collaborating to study Mercury's magnetosphere and surface. The mission is named after the Italian mathematician who took part in NASA's Mariner 10 mission to Mercury in the 1970s. The success of the BepiColombo mission will provide valuable insights into the planet's composition and behavior, and will help scientists better understand the formation and evolution of the solar system.
The delay of the Crew-13 launch is a setback for NASA, but the agency is taking necessary precautions to ensure the safety of the astronauts and the success of the mission. The Crew-13 mission is part of NASA's ongoing efforts to send astronauts to the International Space Station and to develop the capabilities for long-duration spaceflight.
## Background The BepiColombo spacecraft conducted flybys of Mercury in 2021, capturing photographs of the surface from 199 kilometers away. The spacecraft has traveled a significant distance to reach Mercury, and its arrival marks a major achievement in space exploration. The mission is a testament to the collaboration and determination of the European Space Agency and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and will provide valuable contributions to our understanding of the solar system.
