The European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft has begun its final approach to Mercury, the closest planet to the Sun, according to Infobae. The probe, launched eight years ago, is now entering the most dangerous phase of its mission as it prepares to study the planet's interior.
The mission, a joint effort between the European Space Agency and Japan's JAXA, has completed nine flybys of other planets to build up enough speed to enter Mercury's orbit, as reported by El País and Servimedia. The spacecraft is now facing extreme conditions, with surface temperatures on Mercury reaching up to 450 degrees Celsius, according to Gizmodo en Español.
BepiColombo's primary goal is to reveal what Mercury looks like inside, Infobae reports. The planet remains largely mysterious despite being our solar system's innermost world, and scientists hope the probe's instruments will provide new data on its composition and geological structure.
The final phase of the mission involves the spacecraft separating into its component modules while in flight, a complex maneuver that must be executed perfectly under the intense heat of the Sun, according to Gizmodo en Español. The probe has already traveled for eight years to reach this point, and mission controllers are now focused on the delicate orbital insertion.
Revista Gerente, a Colombian publication, also confirmed that the probe has initiated its approach phase to the planet. The spacecraft will need to slow down significantly to be captured by Mercury's gravity rather than being pulled into the Sun.
What to watch next: The critical orbital insertion maneuver, which will determine whether BepiColombo can begin its planned scientific observations of Mercury's interior structure.
