Title: BepiColombo Mission Returns for Flybys of Mercury, Nearing Orbit Entry in 2025
Date: June 20, 2023
JAKARTA – The BepiColombo mission, a joint endeavor by the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japanese Space Agency (JAXA), is making significant progress in its mission to explore the planet Mercury. After being launched in 2018, BepiColombo is now returning to conduct a series of short flights, known as flybys, passing through the surface of Mercury at an altitude of approximately 236 km.
These flybys are crucial for BepiColombo to overcome the immense gravitational pull from the Sun and navigate its way through the inner Solar System. The mission’s spacecraft operations team at ESA is currently overseeing the third of six gravity-assisted flybys on Mercury.
ESA flight dynamics expert Frank Budnik explained that as BepiColombo begins to feel Mercury’s gravitational pull, the planet will move at a speed of 3.6 km/s relative to the spacecraft. This speed is more than half of what was experienced during the previous Mercury flybys. The gradual decrease in speed will eventually allow the spacecraft to be captured into Mercury’s orbit in 2025.
“Our spacecraft started out with too much energy because it was launched from Earth and orbits the Sun, similar to our planet. To be captured by Mercury, we need to slow down, and we utilize the gravity of Earth, Venus, and Mercury to achieve this,” Budnik stated.
During the flyby, BepiColombo will approach the night side of the planet and be recorded by the spacecraft’s surveillance cameras approximately 13 minutes later. Following this flyby, the mission will enter a challenging phase where it will gradually increase its use of solar electric propulsion through a period called arc thrust. This propulsion technique will help counteract the Sun’s immense gravitational pull.
The arc thrust maneuvers could last from several days to two months, with occasional interruptions for optimized navigation and maneuverability. To ensure the mission’s safety and prevent any potential collision with Mercury, the latest maneuver is designed to have BepiColombo pass over the rocky planet at a slightly higher altitude than necessary.
Upon arrival at Mercury in December 2025, two BepiColombo science modules, namely the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) from ESA and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO) from JAXA, will separate from the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) and enter complementary orbits around the planet. The main science camera will remain protected until the spacecraft module separates, but images will be captured by the BepiColombo surveillance camera during the flyby.
The BepiColombo mission represents a significant collaboration between ESA and JAXA, aiming to unravel the mysteries of Mercury and expand our understanding of the solar system. With each milestone achieved, the mission edges closer to its ultimate goal of entering Mercury’s orbit in 2025.
Tags: BepiColombo, European Space Agency, Japanese Space Agency, Mercury, flybys, solar system, space exploration
How is the BepiColombo mission gradually uncovering the mysteries of Mercury and getting closer to its goal of entering the planet’s orbit in 2025
Its journey in 2018 and has since been conducting flybys of Mercury to overcome the Sun’s gravitational pull and navigate its way to the planet’s orbit,” said Budnik.
The BepiColombo mission aims to study the composition, origin, and dynamics of Mercury’s exosphere, which is the thin atmosphere surrounding the planet. One of the key instruments onboard the spacecraft is SERENA (Particle Instrument Suite for Determining the Sun-EarTh Nexus), which is responsible for studying the particles in Mercury’s exosphere.
SERENA will help scientists understand the formation and behavior of the exosphere, providing insights into the planet’s composition and its interaction with the solar wind. The instrument suite comprises several particle sensors, including a neutral particle analyzer, an ion analyzer, and a ion drift meter.
With the ongoing flybys and the data collected by SERENA, the BepiColombo mission is gradually uncovering the mysteries of Mercury and getting closer to its ultimate goal of entering the planet’s orbit in 2025. This mission is a significant collaboration between ESA and JAXA and serves as a pioneering step in our exploration of the innermost planet of our Solar System.
In conclusion, the BepiColombo mission is currently conducting flybys of Mercury to overcome the Sun’s gravitational pull and position itself in the planet’s orbit by 2025. The mission aims to study Mercury’s exosphere using instruments such as SERENA and contribute to our understanding of the planet’s composition, origin, and dynamics.
