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
MPO ejects the MOSIF sunshield: 16 December 2026
Start of science operations: 6 April 2027

Exact dates may change for operational reasons.

Note: This image was updated August 2021, May 2023, September 2024, July 2025 and September 2026 to reflect updated mission milestone dates.

[Image description: An infographic showing a timeline as a white horizontal line on a blue background. The line begins with a red circle showing a rocket, labelled 19/20 October 2018, Launch, Ariane 5, Kourou. White spots mark BepiColombo's nine planetary flybys to the right of this circle, from 10 April 2020 (Earth flyby) to 8 January 2025 (sixth Mercury flyby). A second red circle marks 'Arrival at Mercury', September–December 2026. To the right of this circle is a spot marked 6 April 2027, start of science. The timeline ends with December 2029, planned end of mission.]