Laser altimeter BELA ready to explore Mercury's surface

edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan

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Add as preferred source Artist's impression of BepiColombo – ESA's first mission to Mercury, conducted in cooperation with Japan. ESA's Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO) will be operated from ESOC, Germany. Credit: ESA Launched on Oct. 20, 2018, the joint ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission has traveled for almost eight years, using a carefully planned but eventful sequence of planetary flybys and solar-electric propulsion to gradually approach its destination, Mercury. The mission is now entering the final stage of its journey to the smallest and innermost planet of our solar system.