The mission of the European and Japanese space agencies BepiColombo is preparing for a second approach to Mercury. It
Like during the first meeting last year, inDuring the flyby this week, the spacecraft will rise to an altitude of about 200 km above the surface of Mercury. Closest approach is expected at 12:44 Moscow time.
Key moments during BepiColombo's second flyby of Mercury on June 23, 2022.
Credit: European Space Agency
The main purpose of flyby is to use gravityplanets to fine-tune BepiColombo's trajectory. The spacecraft was launched into space on Ariane 5 from the European spaceport in Kourou in October 2018. BepiColombo uses nine planetary flybys: one to Earth, two to Venus and six to Mercury, as well as the spacecraft's solar electric propulsion system. It will help steer it into Mercury's orbit against the enormous gravitational pull of our Sun. This is a difficult maneuver for a ship.
During the rendezvous, three surveillance camerasBepiColombo will more accurately show the surface of the planet. Also, several instruments will monitor magnetic fields and the state of plasma and particles both near and far from the planet.
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