Which planet is the joint ESA-JAXA mission BepiColombo expected to enter orbit around in late 2026?

The joint ESA-JAXA mission BepiColombo is on its way to Mercury, the innermost planet of our solar system, with an expected arrival in November 2026. This ambitious mission aims to provide a comprehensive study of this enigmatic world, which remains one of the least explored planets in our celestial neighborhood due to its extreme environment.

Reaching Mercury is a significant challenge because a spacecraft must overcome the Sun's immense gravity and endure drastic temperature fluctuations, ranging from scorching hot on the sunlit side to extremely cold in permanent shadows. BepiColombo is equipped to handle these harsh conditions and will become only the third mission to visit Mercury, following NASA's Mariner 10 and MESSENGER probes.

The mission comprises two scientific orbiters: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), provided by ESA, and the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MIO), contributed by JAXA. Once BepiColombo arrives, these two spacecraft will separate to enter complementary orbits, allowing them to study different aspects of Mercury. The MPO will focus on the planet's surface, interior, and exosphere, while the MIO will investigate its magnetic field and magnetosphere. This dual approach is designed to unravel mysteries about Mercury's high density, its unique magnetic field, and the potential for water ice in its polar regions, ultimately enhancing our understanding of how planets form and evolve close to their parent stars. The mission is named after the insightful Italian mathematician and engineer Giuseppe "Bepi" Colombo, who was crucial in understanding Mercury's orbital dynamics.