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International space probe en route to Mercury

Artist’s impression of the complete BepiColombo spacecraft, before it separates into its component elements, approaching Mercury

Artist’s impression of the complete BepiColombo spacecraft, before it separates into its component elements, approaching Mercury

Photo by Airbus

22nd October 2018

By: Rebecca Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

     

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The joint European-Japanese twin-probe BepiColombo space mission, to the Solar System’s innermost planet, Mercury, was successfully launched from Kourou in French Guiana on Saturday. The spacecraft, built by Airbus and launched by an Ariane 5 rocket, has four main elements: the Mercury Planetary Orbiter (MPO), the Mercury Magnetosphere Orbiter (MMO), the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) and the Sunshield and Interface Structure (which protects the MMO and MTM).

The mission is a joint project between the European Space Agency (ESA – which is totally separate from the European Union) and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The MPO is the ESA component of the mission and the MMO is the JAXA component. The two probes will travel, with the other two elements, as a single unit until they approach Mercury, when they will separate and enter different orbits around the solar system’s innermost planet.

“This very complex mission is the result of a truly inspiring international cooperation among 83 companies from 16 European countries and Japan,” highlighted Airbus Defence and Space head of space systems Nicolas Chamussy. “This international effort with Airbus teams from five countries, is the natural consequence of humanity’s desire to discover more about this little known planet and the origins of our solar system.”

The BepiColombo mission is carrying 16 scientific instruments. These will enable the MMO and MPO to examine the small planet’s magnetic field and its interaction with the solar wind, and the structure, geological and chemical composition of the planet itself. The mission will also use cameras to image Mercury’s surface, allowing the creation of the most accurate maps so far of this world. The mission will also be the first time that two orbiters have been active around Mercury at the same time.

“All great missions come with challenges: Airbus had to develop sophisticated thermal control solutions and even ‘special’ solar arrays, capable of tilting 75 degrees away from the Sun to limit the temperature,” he pointed out. “Now its challenge is to complete the journey safely and deliver the science we’re all waiting for.”

Having being launched at escape velocity, allowing it to escape Earth’s gravity, BepiColombo must now decelerate, so that it drops “down” towards the Sun. This deceleration will be achieved by a mixture of using the MTM’s ion thrusters and by means of nine planetary “swing-bys” (one of earth, two of Venus and six of Mercury). In the final stage of the voyage, the MTM (effectively a tug pushing the two orbiters) will be jettisoned and then the two orbiters will separate and enter their distinct orbits.

The total voyage will take seven years, with Mercury being reached in 2025. By then, the spacecraft will have travelled about 8.5-billion kilometres and orbited the Sun 18 times.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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