Watch live: BepiColombo begins its arrival at Mercury
The ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is entering its final arrival phase at Mercury, with the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module scheduled for September 3, 2026. This marks a critical milestone in a complex, eight-year interplanetary journey.
Why it matters
This mission is a major international collaboration that will provide unprecedented data about Mercury, the least explored terrestrial planet.
After eight years, the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission is about to enter its Mercury Arrival Phase. On 3 September 2026, ESA’s Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) will separate from BepiColombo’s two science orbiters – the first major step in one of the most operationally challenging planetary arrival sequences ever attempted by ESA.
The article is a technical update on a space mission provided by the agency itself.
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