European-Japanese spacecraft to make second Mercury flyby next month

BepiColombo, a joint mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), will make the second Mercury flyby on 23 June 2022. The spacecraft made its first flyby of the planet on October 1, 2021, while the third flyby will take place next year, on June 20, 2023.

Launched on 20 October 2018, the BepiColombo spacecraft is on its way to the mysterious innermost planet of the solar system. The joint mission will study Mercury's composition, geophysics, atmosphere and magnetosphere to better understand the origin and evolution of a planet close to its parent star.

BepiColombo's main science mission will begin in early 2026. During its seven-year cruise, the spacecraft will make a total of nine planetary flybys: one at Earth, two at Venus, and six at Mercury, together with the spacecraft's solar electric propulsion system, to help steer into Mercury's orbit.

Who's ready for another #MercuryFlyby? 🛰🌑⤴️In one month's time, on 23 June, #BepiColombo will be making the second of six Mercury flybys before entering orbit in 2025. We'll provide more details nearer the time. (Yes, and images!) https://t.co/lp717NUoqD #ExploreFarther pic.twitter.com/CPz2zUpGUO

— BepiColombo (@BepiColombo) May 23, 2022

The BepiColombo mission comprises two spacecraft:

• Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO): Built by ESA, the main spacecraft will study the surface and internal composition of the planet.
• Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MIO): JAXA's MIO will study Mercury's magnetosphere - the region of space around the planet that is dominated by its magnetic field.

The Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), which provides solar-electric propulsion, will separate from the two orbiters after arriving at Mercury. Both orbiters are expected to operate for about one year.

So far, only two spacecraft have visited Mercury - NASA's Mariner 10 and NASA's MESSENGER spacecraft. BepiColombo is the third spacecraft to visit the least explored planet in our solar system.