Overview
- The mission entered its arrival phase when the Mercury Transfer Module (MTM) separated from the twin science orbiters, an event carried out on Sept. 3, 2026 and confirmed by ESA live updates.
- Teams are awaiting and verifying spacecraft signals and running post‑separation health checks with a roughly 30‑minute signal delay that forces many steps to be executed autonomously.
- The composite spacecraft is due to be captured by Mercury’s gravity on Nov. 21, 2026, with the Mercury Planetary Orbiter and the magnetospheric orbiter scheduled to separate into their final orbits on Dec. 9–10, 2026 and begin science operations in April 2027.
- Engineers warn the sequence is highly risky because Mercury’s intense sunlight and deep solar gravity require novel thermal controls, small thrusters and autonomous systems that are being tested in situ for the first time.
- BepiColombo used nearly eight years of electric propulsion and nine gravity assists to reach Mercury after a 2024 thruster glitch altered its path, and its 16 instruments will map the planet, probe its interior and study its magnetic environment.