BepiColombo timeline

Timeline of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission's journey to Mercury.

Launch: 01:45 GMT on 20 October 2018.

Earth flyby: 10 April 2020
Venus flyby 1: 15 October 2020
Venus flyby 2: 11 August 2021
Mercury flyby 1: 1 October 2021
Mercury flyby 2: 23 June 2022
Mercury flyby 3: 19 June 2023
Mercury flyby 4: 4 September 2024
Mercury flyby 5: 1 December 2024
Mercury flyby 6: 8 January 2025

MTM separates from MPO+Mio: 3 September 2026
MPO+Mio enter Mercury orbit: 21 November 2026
MPO and Mio separate: 9–10 December 2026
Start of science operations: April 2027

Note: This image was updated August 2021, May 2023, September 2024 and July 2025 to reflect updated mission milestone dates.