Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Rewatch the European Space Agency's 31 August 2026 online press briefing on the latest developments of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, Europe's and Japan's first mission to Mercury.
This briefing focused on the complexities of the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), scheduled for 3 September 2026, a critical milestone marking the start of BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival phase. It also provided an overview of the operational challenges and milestones ahead, including Mercury orbit insertion in November 2026 and the separation of the two science orbiters (ESA's MPO and JAXA's Mio) in December 2026.
The briefing also provided an update on the mission’s status and explored the scientific opportunities that await as BepiColombo prepares to begin operations around Mercury. Journalists had the opportunity to ask questions following the presentations from three speakers:
• Prof. Geraint Jones, Lead Project Scientist, ESA
• Santa Martinez, Mission Manager, ESA
• Ignacio Tanco, Head of Inner Solar System Mission Operations, ESA
BepiColombo will be the most complex mission ever sent to Mercury. Its orbiters will be only the second and third to orbit the planet. Close to the Sun and more difficult for an orbiter to reach than Pluto, this small desert world is the least explored planet of the inner Solar System. Learning more about Mercury will shed light on the history of the entire Solar System.
The mission is a collaboration between ESA and JAXA, the latter providing the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio).
To learn more about the arrival at Mercury of BepiColombo, the spacecraft's eight-year journey, and the mission's science goals, go to https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_arrival_media_kit
For the latest BepiColombo news, head to https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo
Credit: ESA - European Space Agency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_conditions_of_use_of_images_and_videos_available_on_the_esa_website
#esa #science #BepiColombo #Mercury
Rewatch the European Space Agency's 31 August 2026 online press briefing on the latest developments of the ESA/JAXA BepiColombo mission, Europe's and Japan's first mission to Mercury.
This briefing focused on the complexities of the separation of the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM), scheduled for 3 September 2026, a critical milestone marking the start of BepiColombo’s Mercury arrival phase. It also provided an overview of the operational challenges and milestones ahead, including Mercury orbit insertion in November 2026 and the separation of the two science orbiters (ESA's MPO and JAXA's Mio) in December 2026.
The briefing also provided an update on the mission’s status and explored the scientific opportunities that await as BepiColombo prepares to begin operations around Mercury. Journalists had the opportunity to ask questions following the presentations from three speakers:
• Prof. Geraint Jones, Lead Project Scientist, ESA
• Santa Martinez, Mission Manager, ESA
• Ignacio Tanco, Head of Inner Solar System Mission Operations, ESA
BepiColombo will be the most complex mission ever sent to Mercury. Its orbiters will be only the second and third to orbit the planet. Close to the Sun and more difficult for an orbiter to reach than Pluto, this small desert world is the least explored planet of the inner Solar System. Learning more about Mercury will shed light on the history of the entire Solar System.
The mission is a collaboration between ESA and JAXA, the latter providing the Mercury Magnetospheric Orbiter (Mio).
To learn more about the arrival at Mercury of BepiColombo, the spacecraft's eight-year journey, and the mission's science goals, go to https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo/BepiColombo_arrival_media_kit
For the latest BepiColombo news, head to https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Space_Science/BepiColombo
Credit: ESA - European Space Agency
We are Europe's gateway to space. Our mission is to shape the development of Europe's space capability and ensure that investment in space continues to deliver benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world. Check out https://www.esa.int/ to get up to speed on everything space related.
Copyright information about our videos is available here: https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Terms_and_conditions_of_use_of_images_and_videos_available_on_the_esa_website
#esa #science #BepiColombo #Mercury
