Joint European Spacecraft Captures Stunning New Images of Mercury During Closest Flyby Yet

BepiColombo, a mission led by the European Space Agency and Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency, conducted its third flyby of Mercury on June 19, coming within 124 miles of the surface.
The flyby allowed the spacecraft to capture high-resolution images of Mercury's surface, revealing impact craters and other geological features in striking detail.
The mission aims to study why Mercury's core is cooling and causing its crust to shrink, as well as its magnetosphere and thin atmosphere.
BepiColombo will conduct three more flybys of Mercury before entering orbit in 2026 to begin its primary mission.
The new images provide insights into Mercury's surface composition and evolution.