BepiColombo Captures Stunning Images During Fourth Mercury Flyby

ESA and JAXA's joint mission edges closer to unraveling the secrets of the Solar System's least-explored planet

The BepiColombo spacecraft completed its fourth flyby of Mercury, capturing images of the planet's rugged surface and prominent craters.
This recent flyby brought BepiColombo within 165 km of Mercury's surface, providing a first-time view of the planet's south pole.
The mission aims to solve Mercury's outstanding mysteries by studying its surface, interior, magnetosphere, and exosphere.
BepiColombo is a joint mission by ESA and JAXA, set to enter Mercury's orbit in November 2026 after a series of six gravity-assist flybys.
The spacecraft's monitoring cameras, intended to observe its own systems, delivered unexpected but valuable scientific images during the flyby.