For decades, Mercury has been a challenging target for exploration. Orbiting deep within the Sun's powerful gravitational grip, it is a world of extremes and enduring mysteries. 

Now, after an eight-year journey spanning nine planetary flybys, the joint European Space Agency (ESA) and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) mission, BepiColombo, is finally approaching the rocky planet and preparing for its most demanding phase yet: Mercury arrival. 

The first major milestone in this carefully choreographed sequence is the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) on 3 September 2026. 

This critical step is the first in a challenging arrival campaign that will ultimately place Europe’s and Japan’s first Mercury orbiters around the Solar System’s innermost planet. Both spacecraft will begin their scientific studies of Mercury and its surrounding environment in April 2027.

Learn more about BepiColombo.