BepiColombo: The Spacecraft that Spent 8 Years Travelling to Mercury Is Finally Arriving in 2026

BepiColombo: The spacecraft that spent 8 years travelling to Mercury is finally arriving in 2026

Science News: For most space missions, the launch is the headline moment. For BepiColombo, the real milestone arrives years later. After spending nearly eight years.

In November, a spacecraft that has spent eight years falling toward the Sun will finally settle into orbit around Mercury, a planet we have seen up close fewer times than almost any other in the solar system.

In November, a spacecraft called BepiColombo, after nearly eight years looping through the inner solar system, will finally let Mercury capture it into orbit. It is a quiet milestone for one of the least-visited planets we have. Only two missions have ever gone to Mercury, and only one of them ever orbited it, which makes this the third visit and the second time any spacecraft has settled in to stay. BepiColombo is a joint mission of the Europea…