After almost ten years traveling through space, two scientific spacecraft have released their carrier vehicle and are now proceeding independently toward Mercury. The separation took place on Thursday, when the transfer module was jettisoned and the two orbiters continued on their own trajectories.
The probes are part of the joint BepiColombo mission conducted by the European Space Agency ESA and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency JAXA. Launched in 2018, they were initially designed to travel together to the innermost planet before beginning their scientific observations.
Following the release of the transfer module, the orbiters remain on course for Mercury and are preparing for arrival. Additional maneuvering burns are scheduled to insert them into a stable orbit around the planet.
Studying Mercury will provide insights into its surface composition, weak magnetic field and tenuous exosphere. These results are expected to improve our understanding of how rocky planets form and evolve in the inner solar system.