The European-Japanese BepiColombo spacecraft has released the module that carried it through space for the past eight years, leaving the probe in its final configuration for arrival at Mercury, according to The Register.
The separation marks the beginning of the last leg of the mission, with the spacecraft now set to perform the maneuvers needed to enter orbit around the solar system's innermost planet. The Register reports that this final phase is expected to be delicate, as the probe must slow itself enough to be captured by Mercury's gravity without mishap.
BepiColombo launched in 2018 as a joint endeavor between the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The mission has spent the intervening years performing flybys of Earth, Venus, and Mercury itself, using the planets' gravity to adjust its trajectory and shed speed. Ars Technica notes that the spacecraft is now on its final approach after that extended cruise phase.
The mission consists of two science orbiters—one designed by ESA to map the planet and study its composition, and another built by JAXA to investigate Mercury's magnetic field and exosphere. Both have been stacked together with the transfer module during the journey, and that module has now served its purpose.
Phys.org describes the upcoming arrival as "tricky," given the intense gravitational pull of the Sun near Mercury and the challenge of slowing a spacecraft without overshooting the planet. ESA has published updates on the approach, signaling confidence in the sequence of events.
What to watch next: confirmation that BepiColombo has successfully entered orbit, which will trigger the start of its primary science mission at Mercury.
