BepiColombo mission separates orbiters near Mercury after eight-year journey

The BepiColombo mission, a joint venture between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), has successfully completed a critical separation maneuver as it approaches Mercury. After an eight-year journey that began in October 2018, the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) has detached from the two scientific orbiters: ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio).

The separation occurred on September 3, 2026, in a high-risk operation conducted near the Sun, where extreme temperatures and radiation pose significant challenges. Mission controllers confirmed the successful detachment after receiving telemetry signals. The two orbiters will now travel together in a stacked configuration for several months as they prepare for final orbital insertion.

The mission is scheduled to enter Mercury's orbit on November 21, 2026. Following this, the MPO and Mio are expected to separate between December 9 and 10, 2026. The full scientific phase, aimed at studying Mercury’s geology, magnetic field, and internal structure, is slated to begin in April 2027. This mission follows previous explorations by NASA’s Mariner 10 and MESSENGER, aiming to provide unprecedented multi-point measurements of the innermost planet.