20 AUG. 2026
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Download this media kit to learn more about the arrival at Mercury of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, the spacecraft's eight year journey, and the science goals of the mission.
The media kit is made up of a collection of infographics:
Click on the 'Read more' buttons in the media kit pdf (bottom right of the pages) for more information.
Click here for BepiColombo images and click here for BepiColombo videos.
About BepiColombo
Launched on 20 October 2018, BepiColombo is a joint mission between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), executed under ESA leadership. It is both Europe and Japan's first mission to Mercury, the first two-spacecraft mission to Mercury, and only the second mission to ever enter orbit about the little planet.
The mission comprises two scientific orbiters: ESA’s Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) and JAXA’s Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio). The European Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) has been carrying the orbiters to Mercury.
During arrival at Mercury in late 2026, the spacecraft will separate and the two orbiters will manoeuvre to their dedicated polar orbits around the planet. Science operations for both orbiters will begin in April 2027.
For media enquiries, please contact:
ESA Media Relations
media@esa.int
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BepiColombo overview
BepiColombo factsheet
Name: BepiColomboSpacecraft: Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (MMO or Mio), and the Mercury Transport Module (MTM)Mission: To investigate Mercury, the innermost and least explored planet in the inner Solar System.
Top five Mercury mysteries that BepiColombo will solve
Mercury is a desert world which scientists until recently considered quite uninteresting. NASA’s Mariner and Messenger missions, however, revealed that there is much more to the smallest and innermost planet of the Solar System than meets the eye. Despite temperatures on its surface rising up to 450°C, there seems to be water ice on Mercury. The planet also appears to have a way too large inner core for its size and a surprising chemical composition. Here are the top five Mercury mysteries that the European-Japanese BepiColombo mission might solve.
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