The joint European-Japanese BepiColombo mission, a testament to international collaboration in space exploration, has achieved another significant milestone. On 5 September 2024, the spacecraft executed its fourth successful flyby of Mercury, bringing it closer than ever to its final orbit around the innermost planet of our solar system.

Historic Flyby Offers Unprecedented Views

In a manoeuvre that brought the spacecraft just 165 kilometres above Mercury's cratered surface, mission controllers confirmed that all systems functioned perfectly. This flyby was particularly notable as it delivered the first-ever image of Mercury's elusive South Pole. Captured by one of BepiColombo's monitoring cameras, the stunning photograph reveals the pole in extraordinary detail, visible in the top right portion of the planet's disk. This historic snapshot was taken approximately 23 minutes after the closest approach, when BepiColombo was about 3,500 kilometres from Mercury’s surface.

The flyby provided scientists with a rare chance to gather important data on Mercury's magnetic field and exosphere (Image: ESA)

Read Also: First-ever private spacewalk mission: SpaceX's Polaris Dawn launch set for tomorrow ; when and where to watch live

Scientific Gains and Future Prospects

This recent encounter provided a unique opportunity for scientists to gather valuable data on Mercury’s magnetic field, exosphere, and surface composition. During the flyby, various instruments on both the European Space Agency's Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter were activated.

“We're thrilled with the success of this flyby," said Johannes Benkhoff, BepiColombo's project scientist. "The data collected will give us new insights into Mercury's evolution and help fine-tune our instruments for the main science mission.” The BepiColombo team now eagerly awaits the complete download and analysis of the data and images captured during this critical flyby.

Captured by one of BepiColombo's monitoring cameras, the stunning photograph reveals the pole in extraordinary detail, visible in the top right portion of the planet's disk. (Image: ESA)

Looking Ahead to Orbit Insertion

The information gathered will not only enhance our understanding of Mercury but also assist in preparing the spacecraft for its eventual insertion into Mercury orbit, now rescheduled for November 2026 due to recent thruster issues. As BepiColombo continues its journey, anticipation builds for the groundbreaking discoveries that await when the mission enters its primary science phase, promising to unlock the secrets of our solar system’s innermost planet.

Read Also: Boeing Starliner to Return Empty; why Sunita Williams won’t be coming back in the astronaut-built space capsule