BepiColombo

Europe's mission to Mercury, in cooperation with Japan. Arriving 2026 at the smallest and least explored terrestrial planet in our Solar System.

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

In memory of Sir Patrick Stewart, 1940-2026

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

Our MPO @ESA_Bepi & Mio @JAXA_MMO spacecraft, still attached to each other, swept within ~88 000 km of the planet on 26 October, then moved further away. Today at ~222 000km, it turns back, heading for 21 November orbit insertion.
It's downhill to Mercury all the way from today!

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

Today's our launch anniversary - 8 years since @ESA_Bepi and @JAXA_MMO roared into space together!
Listen to some of our team members summarize our mission in 3 words... #bepicolombo

[ESA Science @esascience]

@BepiColombo And as today we're celebrating eight years since @BepiColombo left for Mercury, we've asked the team to describe the mission in three words.

Can you guess which word came up the most?
https://t.co/LgVvoPOFVk

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

Latest updates on our mission are available at the page below. The latest entry summarises how several instruments on the Mercury Planetary Orbiter, @ESA_Bepi , gathered their first data after the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module. #BepiColombo
https://t.co/nNCy1VEZ3l

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

The SIMBIO-SYS science camera on our Mercury Planetary Orbiter has successfully gathered its "first light" data, following the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module. This powerful instrument will map Mercury in great detail. #BepiColombo
Details at https://t.co/Pdf4qraYXA

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

We've completed a planned tweak to our path towards Mercury, the first one since detaching from @ESA_MTM ... #BepiColombo

[ESA Operations @esaoperations]

A small push for @esa & @JAXA_en #BepiColombo, a giant leap towards #Mercury! 🛰️➡️🌑

Without MTM, the Mercury Planetary Orbiter is preparing for orbit insertion.

Yesterday's successful thruster burn tested the propulsion system & delivered a planned 11.4 m/s trajectory correction ✅

@esascience @BepiColombo @ISAS_JAXA_EN

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

@iamkadaladi @BenHsiao0522 @esaoperations @esa @JAXA_en Correct, also called the Hill Sphere 👍
Within it, the force of gravity caused by Mercury pulls more strongly than the Sun, so an object can be in orbit around the planet. Shown is the typical size - as Mercury's distance from the Sun varies a lot, the Hill Sphere size does too.

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

🚨Competition alert 🚨

Craft a #WelcomeToMercury message for MPO and Mio and stand a chance to win a trip to Germany and witness the ESA/JAXA #BepiColombo
mission arrive at Mercury!

The message could be a drawing, song, poem or any other art form. Details 👉https://t.co/5hG6bRjKKh

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

Last week, the MERTIS instrument on our Mercury Planetary Orbiter gathered 1st data through its planet port, blocked during cruise. This will point down at Mercury during the mission's science phase. #BepiColombo
Details at
https://t.co/Go3tZi0jPo
and
https://t.co/2s3tzIw85m

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

During our 4th encounter with Mercury in September 2024, the SIXS instrument revealed the bombardment of a large fraction of Mercury's surface by highly energetic particles originating at the Sun. Published in Nature Astronomy.
#BepiColombo
https://t.co/lThZ6ZkxNX

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

Here are more details of the BELA laser altimeter switch-on yesterday, including the first laser pulse sent from the instrument aboard the Mercury Planetary Orbiter: #BepiColombo https://t.co/H1KxAv6yky

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

The BELA laser altimeter on our Mercury Planetary Orbiter spacecraft was successfully activated for the first time in space yesterday. 👍
During the mission's science phase, from April 2027, it will map the shape of Mercury and its surface. #BepiColombo
https://t.co/jWV3Xna8Al

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

Our journey so far, as imaged by @ESA_MTM ...

[ESA Science @esascience]

Eight years of space selfies in 4️⃣ minutes 📸

As the @ESA / @JAXA_en @BepiColombo mission traveled toward its final destination around Mercury, three onboard monitoring cameras took images of the journey 👇

Which planets do you spot along the way? 👀
https://t.co/PNAgkQRYrL

@ISAS_JAXA_EN

[European Space Agency @esa]

World leaders, ministers, astronauts and industry representatives will gather in Paris this week for the International Space Summit.

ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher will present a pathway for Europe's future in space exploration and invite leaders to reflect on the role Europe wants to play in the next era of space, from low Earth orbit and the Moon to Mars.

Read more: https://t.co/HOuJyiaNQW

#ParisSpaceSummit

[ESA Science @esascience]

Media call: join a press briefing on @BepiColombo held by the Europlanet Science Congress 2026 organisers on 9 September, at 12:45 CEST.

@ESA & @JAXA_en representatives will give an update on the status of the spacecraft and look ahead at the next steps.

Register here 👉https://t.co/OtRp5zuspB

[ESA Science @esascience]

Mercury, here we come! 🛰️ 🌑

Eight years and nine planetary flybys later, the ESA/JAXA @BepiColombo mission has parted ways with its Mercury Transfer Module – the first critical step of its Mercury Arrival Phase.

Catch up on how it happened ICYMI 👉https://t.co/5eKfXwhPw9

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@ESA
@JAXA_en @ISAS_JAXA_EN
@esaoperations

[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

Farewell, MTM! 💜

[ESA Science @esascience]

A happy goodbye is still a goodbye 🥹

Mission accomplished, MTM! 🫡 Thank you for the ride!

Thanks to its solar-powered electric thrusters, MTM carried @ESA's Bepi & @JAXA_en 's Mio to Mercury on the power equivalent of 250 ants! 🐜🐜🐜

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[BepiColombo @BepiColombo]

RT @esaoperations: ACQUISITION OF SIGNAL CONFIRMED! 🎉🛰️

#BepiColombo telemetry shows the Mercury Transfer Module has successfully separate…

[ESA Operations @esaoperations]

The #BepiColombo Mission Control Team is now checking the final telemetry received from the spacecraft during execution of MTM separation. ☑️

@ESA @JAXA @BepiColombo @ISAS_JAXA_EN #Mercury

[ESA Operations @esaoperations]

The #BepiColombo MTM separation sequence has now started on-board, taking care of all that is needed for separation to take place. 🛰️

We'll only see this on ground about 11 min later. ⏱️

Mission teams are closely tracking system status ahead of this key milestone. 📈

@ESA @JAXA @BepiColombo @ISAS_JAXA_EN #Mercury